Dandelions Lost in the Summer Sky
by lcdrsuperseal
Summary: AU set late in S5. After a case at Five-0 goes horribly wrong and Steve suffers a life changing brain injury, Danny must learn to adjust to this new life he now leads and his role in Steve's life.
1. Chapter 1

Danny wasn't sure how long he'd been sat in the waiting room at Tripler's Emergency department, but it was long enough that he'd asked Kono to pick Grace up from school and keep her at her house until Danny knew what was going on. Chin and Lou offered to stay for support but Danny told them to go not long ago, when he noticed that it was dark outside. As soon as they left, he let himself have a few minutes of crying now that he was alone.

 _Alone._

He quickly stopped thinking about that word. It wouldn't do him any good. He had to focus on Steve now, who was currently having emergency brain surgery after being ambushed while chasing after their suspect. He was good, but against six guys as big as he was, he didn't stand a chance.

Danny found him once they'd got everyone involved, and felt his heart stop dead in his chest at the sight of his best friend, partner and lover lying unconscious on the ground, bleeding out of his mouth, nose and – most worryingly – an ear.

When the paramedics arrived they quickly intubated him to maintain Steve's airway, got him onto a spinal board and, along with Danny, straight into the ambulance to take them to Tripler's Military hospital. The surgical and neurological team met them when they arrived and quickly whisked Steve straight to theatre after a quick assessment of his vital signs and pupils using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) leaving Danny standing bewildered in the emergency room watching the man he loved be taken away from him.

" _He's gonna be okay though, right?" He asked one of the nurses who were cleaning up the area that Steve was in. She looked at him sadly before replying._

" _Detective Williams, your partner was badly beaten. Bleeding from the ear is never a good sign when it comes to head injuries. He's most likely sustained a brain injury, but until he comes out of surgery and wakes up there's no way to tell how severe. His pupils were dilated when we checked his GCS, which also isn't good. Be prepared that he is probably going to be a different person after this. I'm very sorry." Danny scrubbed his face with his hands, feeling his heartrate climb up._

" _Where can I wait for him?"_

" _Our surgery waiting area is just down the corridor where they took your partner, and it's the room on the right."_

" _Thank you_ _._ _" He said as he began the slow walk._

"Detective Williams?"

Danny's head snapped up from where it was resting on his hands at the mention of his name. He was relieved to see it was one of the surgeons who took Steve away.

"Doc, what's the score?" Danny said, jumping to his feet.

"Commander McGarrett was bleeding into his brain, which as you saw was coming out of his ear, we managed to stop it. He also fractured his skull, which we repaired. We've had to place him in a medically induced coma, to give his body time to recover. We'll bring him out of it after a few days though, a week at the most. He's been moved up to the NCCU – the Neurological Critical Care Unit – now, if you'd like to come with us."

Danny's chest was heaving, and he ran his fingers through already-messy hair as he nodded. He followed the surgeon to the unit, and upon entering Steve's room he promptly fell into the chair at his bedside and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I'll give you a few minutes with him, then we have a few questions for you."

Danny nodded, not taking his eyes off of Steve. He was hooked up to a ventilator that was currently breathing for him, intravenous fluids and pain relief. He also had a tube down his nose that was providing him with nutrition. A nurse came in to recheck his vital signs – she assured Danny that this is something that they do very frequently at this stage – and handed him a box of tissues as she left without him even asking for them.

"Thank you." He whispered, promptly taking one to wipe his face with. "I told you to wait for me, but no, not 'Steve McGarrett'. You had to run off and be a hero." A small humourless laugh escaped from him. "Thing is, you're already a hero, to me and Gracie. I dunno what's gonna happen now; things are probably gonna change and we're both going to hate it. But that won't change. I'll still love you, babe." Danny brought Steve's hand up and kissed each knuckle. "No matter what."

A knock at the door caught his attention, and he motioned for the young man in scrubs at the door to come in.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Detective. My name is Will and I'm one of the Neurological doctors working in this department." He said as he sat in the chair next to Danny.

"Please, call me Danny." Danny said, shaking the other mans offered hand. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well, as my colleague explained earlier we'll keep Commander McGarrett in a coma for a day or two, no longer than a week. We'll be regularly assessing his vital signs and GCS, keeping him comfortable until we can fully assess how severely his brain has been damaged, using a few harmless bedside tests. Then after that, we can start to plan for his future – rehab to rebuild any skills that he can, where he'll go after here, and so on. If that's possible, of course."

Danny bit his lip and stroked Steve's hand with his thumb, nodding as he processed the information. "So… he _is_ brain damaged, then? Definitely?"

"I'm afraid the reports of the scan that we did after the surgery show that, yes, he is. He sustained what we call a traumatic brain injury, or a TBI." Will made a few notes on his clipboard, and so missed the silent tears that slipped down Danny's cheeks before he quickly brushed them away. "Detective, we have to be realistic here. The Commander is not going to be the same person that you knew this morning. His brain was damaged, and the next 48 hours are critical. Because of this, we need to know if he is to be resuscitated if anything bad happens. As his emergency contact and medical proxy, it's your call."

Danny's head shot up at that, a furious look on his face.

" _Of course he is!_ If he crashes you bring him back, okay?!" The blonde shouted, before covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry, it's just… A lot to take in."

"It's alright, Danny. Can I ask, what is your relationship to Steve?"

"We're partners in Five 0, have been for almost 5 years now. We've been uh, _together_ though, for a couple of years, living at his house." Danny sighed, looking back at Steve. "I guess I should say 'we _were_ ' now, huh?"

Will gave him a sympathetic look and patted his arm as he stood up to leave. "I'm very sorry, Danny. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I won't tell you to go home and sleep because I know that you probably won't. Our visiting hours are flexible but we just ask that visitors respect that the patients are very ill and need all the rest that they can. As I say, we'll know more tomorrow if we wake the Commander up." He said, before silently leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Danny's walls crumbled and his emotions came tumbling out, his head bowing forward to rest on the bed next to Steve's elbow as he sobbed into the covers, his fingers still laced with Steve's lax ones.


	2. Chapter 2

Shortly after Steve was admitted onto the ward, the doctors revisited the scan results and found that his brain was swollen, and had to inform Danny that he would have to remain sedated until they could reduce the swelling. They also broke to him that with his brain being swollen, the level of his brain damage would be higher than they first thought. The ventilator assisting Steve to breath was taken out after a week, as he started to breath on his own.

* * *

Two nurses came into Steve's room just as Danny returned from freshening himself up in the bathroom adjacent to the room, and at his confused look explained that they were there to give Steve a wash. Danny took the hint and left them to it, wanting Steve to have at least some dignity, as he knew full well what they were doing, having been there for two weeks now. They'd been the longest ones of his life.

Danny found a coffee machine and took the opportunity to phone the rest of the team to let them know what had happened over the last 24 hours while stretching his legs on the ward.

"Ah, Danny!" He turned around at hearing his name, and saw Will walking towards him. "I hope you managed to get some sleep?"

"Yeah, I think I got a couple of hours, thanks." Danny said, running his free hand through his hair. He'd been sleeping in Steve's room on a recliner chair that the nurses had kindly brought in for him on the first night.

"Ah, good. I'm glad I caught you; I wanted to tell you that the swelling on Steve's brain is now fully gone, and so we'll be starting to bring Steve out of his coma shortly. We just need to get a few things ready. Now, I need you to realise," Will said, holding up a hand as Danny opened his mouth to respond. "That he's been in a coma for two weeks, and was unconscious before that. He may not wake up until late afternoon, which is why we want to start it now in case it takes longer. So please don't expect anything right away."

Danny took a few deep breaths before downing the rest of his coffee. "That's… That's great news, Doc. Thank you." He shook Will's hand and the doctor left to prepare everything. Danny made his way back to Steve's room and resumed his vigil by his bedside, taking his hand.

"Good morning, babe," He said, and bent forward to lightly kiss Steve's cheek. "The doctors are coming to wake you up in a minute, but they said it's gonna take a while." Danny reached up to stroke Steve's hair away from his face, and carried on until the doctors came into the room. He moved aside so that they could come in and detach the IV bags containing the sedation medication from Steve, making a note of what they were in Steve's patient file that was open on their laptop, and left Danny alone with him, informing him to let someone know if Steve starts to make any movements or sounds. Danny nodded, and settled back into his chair.

* * *

Danny blearily looked at his phone and saw that it was almost 5 o'clock in the evening, almost 8 hours since the doctors had stopped the medication, and Steve still hadn't woken. Only leaving his side to use the bathroom and when the nurses reminded him to get something to eat, Danny kept his gaze on Steve for any signs that he was regaining consciousness. He talked to him often and kept their fingers laced together, squeezing every now and then.

Taking a deep breath, he mustered up enough courage to ring Rachel back after ignoring her calls all day and after apologising for Kono dropping Grace off at hers earlier that morning with a brief explanation, told her everything that had happened since yesterday. He then asked to speak to Grace, who instantly asked when she could come and see Steve. Danny explained to her that Steve was very sick and maybe when he was out of the NCCU he'd be well enough for visitors; truth be told he didn't want her to come and visit Steve until he wasn't hooked up to as many machines, he didn't want her to be scared. Grace didn't really like that answer, but wisely decided not to pursue it as something in her Danno's voice said that he wasn't in the mood for an argument. Danny promised to let her know when Steve was available for a visit, before hanging up. He hadn't told her that Steve was brain damaged - he couldn't do that to her over the phone.

"Hey," Danny pocketed his phone and returned to stroking Steve's hair with his free hand. "You gonna wake up any time soon? I know you enjoy messing with me but this is a bit much – if you've been pretending to be asleep for the last 12 hours I think I might actually kill you." He said with a dry laugh, before leaning down and peppering as much of Steve's face as he could with kisses.

"I love you, you big idiot, so please hurry up and come back to me." Danny whispered against his skin and rested his head next to Steve's on the pillow, ignoring his eyes filling up. He felt himself drifting off to sleep, but he felt the smallest twitch in his hand and bolted upright.

Danny's gaze snapped to their conjoined hands, and felt the lump in his throat rise as he saw Steve's hand twitch under his. Looking up, Danny couldn't stop the tears from coming out as he saw green eyes slowly poking out from underneath long eyelashes. Danny let out a huge sigh of relief and smiled at Steve, the first true smile since this all began. "Hey baby," He cupped the side of Steve's face. "I've missed seeing your beautiful eyes." Steve didn't make any indication that he heard Danny, and just stared in front of him.

"Hang on, let me go and get the doctors, I'll be back soon." Danny pressed a firm kiss to the side of Steve's face before all-but running down the corridor and letting the team know that Steve was awake. They all overtook him on the way back to Steve's room and by the time he got there doctors and nurses were buzzing around, checking his vital signs and gauging his pupils for any reaction to the penlight flashing in front of them. Leaning forward from where he was standing against the wall, Danny could see that they were quite dilated, even though the room was brightly lit.

"Did he seem to hear you?" One of the doctors turned around and asked Danny.

"No." He shook his head. The doctor nodded, and explained that now that Steve was awake they will do more brain scans to see which specific sections have been damaged so that they know what functions have been affected. Danny nodded in understanding, and from the corner of his eye he saw Will walk towards him.

"This is good news, Danny, but tonight Steve's going to have many tests and assessments, and we're going to be in here a lot. Maybe you should go home and get some rest?" Danny looked over at Steve, who was still staring vacantly in front of him, with a worried expression.

"I don't know…" He bit his lip, reluctant to leave him even for one night.

"I think it'd be a good idea. Don't worry, we'll call you if anything happens or changes. But while it's fantastic that Steve's now awake, unfortunately you're not going to be able to get anywhere near him tonight while we do our tests and assessments. I'd take the opportunity to sleep in a real bed and get a decent nights sleep." After a few minutes Danny agreed, albeit half-heartedly, to go home. He crossed the room and pressed a kiss to Steve's forehead, promising that he'd be back in the morning.

The doctors performed a variety of scans on Steve's brain and tests at his bedside over the next week in order to assess what parts of his brain and body were damaged. He made no effort to speak, even when he managed to acknowledge other people in the room. It was suggested that the part of the brain that controls speech had been damaged, but with input from a speech therapist he could regain that skill. Physical and occupational therapists also assessed his body, and after some exercises found that he had trouble with coordinating his right hand and leg; the doctors said this was most likely due to some of the damage being on the left side of Steve's brain, and the left side controls the right side of the body. The rest of the damage was scattered throughout both sides of his brain, and Danny was warned that this can cause fatigue, reduced thinking speed and impaired cognitive skills in all areas of his body.

Danny was relieved when the feeding tube down his nose was removed after it was established that his swallowing ability was fine and he could slowly begin to eat again, starting with soft pureed food. His relief was short lived, however, when he saw that Steve was lacking the coordination to feed himself due to the damage in his brain. The doctors explained that other motor functions were also compromised because of this, but with some rehab they will improve and eventually return, this would take place in the hospitals specialised Major Trauma Rehab ward.

Danny hoped that this was the case as he slowly spoon-fed Steve, who was propped up in bed and looking at him with what Danny thought was a sad expression. He didn't mind helping Steve to eat– he'd do anything for Steve – but after he'd finished the first time and Steve had dozed off, he ran into the bathroom and promptly burst into tears. He never thought he'd have to spoon-feed his once fiercely independent partner.

A representative of the Navy comes to see Danny in the same week and informed him that due to being medically discharged from the service his pension is now active, and that combined with a fund that John McGarrett and Joe White – Danny definitely did not expect that of him after everything that had happened over the last couple of years with Doris – had set up when Steve first joined the Navy, this would be a substantial amount to pay for Steve's future care needs for the rest of his life. He was asked to inform them when Steve would be medically fit to be transferred to a rehab facility after leaving the hospital's rehab ward, and that they would foot the bill. Danny hadn't even thought about that far in the future, choosing instead to take each day as it comes. Will explained the path that Steve would be taking after Danny said he was confused about what would happen now that Steve was making slow, but some, progress.

"From here he would go to the hospitals rehab ward as we discussed earlier, this will probably happen in the next day or two so that we can start his rehab quickly. Then after a few months of daily physio and exercise sessions that should improve his coordination and motor skills significantly, the next step would be to move to an off-site rehab site as the Navy mentioned, one with better facilities to accommodate Steve's needs as they change. Then eventually he could return home, but I should tell you now that he'd need full support at home, regardless of how much he regains – he won't improve enough that he could safely live on his own. I'd imagine that stairs would be a no-go as well, so you may need to think about an alternative place for him to live." Danny thanked him, but said firmly that when he had a clear idea of what Steve would need he'd start work to adapt Steve's home so that he could live downstairs. He had no doubt that Steve would come home with him, but he still hoped that Steve would eventually return to how he was, though the doctors explained to him that the chance of that happening was very little.

And he definitely didn't think about how he would tell Steve's sister and, more worryingly, his mother. He didn't even know where Doris was right now, but he reminded himself that Steve had been in the hospital for almost a month now, and she hadn't come to visit him. Joe White had come by briefly, and Danny thanked him for his contribution of money. He asked if Doris had contacted him lately, which he said that she had and, yes, he'd told her about Steve. Danny figured as much.

But he didn't stress himself worrying about her. It was her son who needed him now, and he was determined to be there for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Moving Steve to the rehab ward went surprisingly smoothly. Danny thanked the staff from the NCCU for all that they did for Steve, and Will assured him that the same team of doctors would still treat him even though he was on a different ward, as they also covered the rehab ward. He was thankful for that, as he didn't particularly cherish the new idea of explaining Steve to a new team of doctors.

Shortly after they'd gotten Steve settled into his new room, the speech therapist and the wards group of physiotherapists and occupational therapists came and introduced themselves to him and Danny, and explained that their role was to get Steve on a sort-of baseline for when he moves to the new facility. They clarified that their main goals would be to get Steve walking or at least standing with the help of equipment, to build up his coordination so that he could start to feed and dress himself, and to get Steve talking and cognitive in the few months that he was predicted to stay here. He was already starting to follow things that moved with his eyes and seemed to be able to understand when people were talking to him, but still wasn't talking.

Together they hoisted Steve into a wheelchair and whisked him off to begin the physio session, and Danny took the opportunity to speak to Will, who had just finished seeing another patient.

"Hey, Will."

"Hey Danny, what can I do for you? Is Steve okay?"

"Yeah, he's having his first physio session here. I have a couple of questions if that's alright?" Will nodded, so Danny continued. "When Steve gets better, will he be able to understand what I'm saying? What kind of mobility do you expect him to have by the time I bring him home?"

Will rubbed the back of his neck. "Those are hard questions, Danny. At this stage, it's more likely that his ability to understand things will be limited - so speak to him as if you would a child, because that's the kind of level he'll be functioning on. The same will most likely go for him talking. If he does get that back it'll be simple phrases that he'll manage better, at least to start with. As for mobility, well... As you know his right side has been compromised due to the brain damage. My hope is that with daily physio exercises we can get the spasms under control, along with the medication that he's already on for them - that's something he'll most likely need when he goes home, though hopefully not as much as he's having now. The spasms are painful for him, but once his nerves heal and the physio does its job they'll decrease."

Danny nodded, letting that all sink in. "But he's not going to be walking perfectly though, right?"

"As I said, it's a tricky question. He may need something in the long run like a brace to keep his leg from buckling in short distances, like around his home. For longer distances or trips outside, he'll most definitely need a walker or even a wheelchair. But that's just my hope for him. Everything depends on how Steve recovers and copes with the rehab, both here and when he leaves." Danny thanked him and went off in search of Steve.

Danny found him in the wards makeshift gym with the physiotherapist, who was currently bending Steve's right leg at the knee while he was still sitting in the wheelchair. She turned to look at him as he walked through the door and smiled.

"Hi there, I'm Danny, Steve's partner." Danny introduced himself as he walked towards them and squeezed Steve's shoulder in a greeting.

"Hi Danny, I'm Alana." She said as Danny came to sit on the floor next to her. "Steve and I are just doing some stretching on his bade side today." Alana said, grinning at Steve as she flexed his muscles. Danny smiled up at Steve, who was staring at the leg Alana was moving with a determined look on his face. "We've already worked his right hand and arm, doing the same thing as I'm doing now but also making him grip a stress-ball." Danny nodded, making mental notes on what Alana was doing so that he could help in the future.

"What about his left side?" Danny asked.

"Oh, we'll work on that too, as he's spent weeks immobile. But that side won't need as much work as the right." Alana explained. Danny stayed with them, and after a while he noticed that Steve's focused gaze was now on him. Once they'd finished Danny wheeled him back to his room and he and Alana managed to get Steve into the recliner chair next to his bed.

Later on the occupation therapist came in, and introduced himself as Jason. Danny crouched next to the chair as Jason produced some everyday items from the box at his side, laid them out on the table in front of Steve and manipulated his left hand to hold and pick up one of the items – a kids building block, explaining to Steve what he was doing. Jason repeated it, making him put the block down, let go, and pick it up again several times, before letting go of his hand and sitting back. Steve stared at the brightly coloured block, then at Jason before looking back at the block. Danny held his breath as he watched Steve slowly slide his hand across the table and curl his fingers over the block, and let out a gasp as he managed to raise it a couple of inches above the table before putting it back on the table. Steve turned his head to look at Danny, who beamed back at him when he saw the small smile on his face.

"Well done, babe!" Danny cheered as he pulled Steve into a sideways hug and pressed a kiss into his hair. Knowing that there was something going on in Steve's head, that he was _cognitive_ , meant more to Danny than anything.

"We keep doing this sort of thing and he'll be doing it on his own before you know it." Jason said with a grin.

The speech therapist saw him a couple of times a week, and used flashcards with pictures and easy words on to try and get Steve talking again. Danny joined them on the first session and remarked that he used similar cards with Rachel when they were teaching Grace how to speak. Kym, the therapist, explained that Steve needing to remember how to talk and toddlers not knowing are similar, and that cards like that are the best way to start. By holding them up and telling Steve what they were, she hoped to engage him enough to start saying the words back. Progress was slow at first, but one day Kym showed him a card with a picture of a cat on it. Steve stared at it before making a grunting sound, getting both Kym and Danny's attention. She raised her eyebrows and showed him a few other cards, but got no response. Showing him the cat again elicited another grunt.

"He likes cats." Danny explained at Kym's confused look. "Well, done, babe." He said, rubbing Steve's back. After that, Danny brought in some photos of him, Grace and the team at Kym's request to use in her next session. She held a photo of Danny up and pointed to the man in question, and Steve's eyes flitted between the photo and the man, before settling on Danny and smiling.

* * *

Now that Steve was settled on the rehab ward and progress was slowly being made, Denning requested that Danny return to work after the weeks of absence he granted after the accident. Danny begrudgingly agreed, but warned Denning that when the time comes that Steve is moved to the new rehab place he'll need time off to help with the transfer.

He came to visit Steve whenever he could, maybe three times a week depending on their caseload, and got weekly reports from the doctor on his progress. Steve's injured side began to repair itself and, one mealtime almost two months later when Danny was feeding him, he reached with his slightly shaking right hand and took the spoon from Danny. After a couple of seconds he managed to bring it up to his face, hitting the side of his mouth at first but on the second attempt he hit his target. He finished the rest of his dinner with next to no help from Danny, who just sat there with a huge grin on his face and tears in his eyes.

The daily sessions with Alana and the other physiotherapists had clearly paid off, as he went from barely any mobility to flexing his arms and legs on his own and being able to sit on the edge of the bed without any support to hold him up. Danny came to visit one day after Steve has been there for several months and got the shock of his life when he walked into the gym and saw Steve standing on his own two feet, using a stand-aid supported by a physiotherapist to hold himself upright. Walking over to where they stood, Danny had to refrain from hugging the crap out of him when Steve saw him coming and grunted happily, a smile plastered across his face.

Danny was beginning to get concerned that, while physically he was on the right track, he still only managed to communicate with noises and pointing. One evening, he was sitting with Steve in his room and going through the photos he'd brought, pointing to the people in them and saying their names. His and Grace's pictures elicited happy noises from him, which Danny always praised.

"You're almost there, babe, aren't you? We can't move you to the new rehab until you're talking a little bit, so we really need to get practicing. Then from there we can go home." Steve looked at him as he spoke with a strange look on his face. Danny bit his lip, an idea forming. Mixing up the photos he laid some out on the table in front of them.

He pointed to a picture of Chin and said his name, and did the same to a picture of Kono and of himself. But when he pointed to a picture of Grace, he said "Danny". Steve frowned and shook his head, before pointing to Danny's picture. "Well done, babe. Yup, that's me alright."

"Danno."

"Yup, I'm Danno - wait, what?!" Danny's head snapped up to look at Steve, who beamed at him before reaching across to hold his hand.

"Danno!"

Danny squeezed Steve's hand before jumping round the table and pulling him into a fierce hug, letting a few tears slip out. Steve slumped into Danny and burrowed his face into his neck, letting out a sigh. Danny hadn't said 'Danno' at any point that Steve had been in hospital, so Danny realised that Steve saying it can only mean one thing.

Steve remembered who he was.

* * *

That moment seemed to awaken something inside Steve, as his progress started to rapidly improve. His speech and vocabulary expanded, but with the limitation that Will had told Danny about months before; Steve talked and sounded like Grace did when she was much younger. But he was talking, and that's all that Danny cared about. Kym extended their sessions and got him to try different sounds and longer words, his voice was unpractised after months of silence but Steve focused on what Danny had said, that he'd be one step closer to going home.

Steve was finally taking steps with the help of a walker, and whenever he could visit Danny slowly walked next to him as he shuffled along the corridors of the ward, a serious and determined look on his face.

Now that he was talking, the doctors were able to assess him properly and deemed him to be functioning at the same level as a child, unable to fully control his emotions or process complicated information. His long-term memory had faded but the doctors assured Danny that some things might return, but warned him that some of the memories may not be good. Taking that into consideration, Danny had chosen a rehab facility that specialised in ex-military service-people for Steve to go to for a few months before going home – he was worried about any memories of SEAL missions coming to the surface.

While all of this was going though, sadly Danny had to work more and more. Governor Denning was putting pressure on Five-0 to keep up with everything in the absence of Steve, so Danny missed out on some of his progress. He didn't like this at all, and nor did Steve; at one point Danny didn't visit for two weeks and when he came back Steve launched into his arms, and Danny held him close as one of the nurses explained that Steve had been miserable and had needed lots of motivation to continue with his rehab. He felt so guilty for suddenly leaving Steve for that long, and promised that he'd never do it again.

* * *

It was a week before Steve's moving date, as he'd been deemed ready to be discharged. To celebrate, Danny finally gave in to Grace's pleas and brought her to visit Steve, along with Chin, Kono and Lou.

"Now listen, monkey," Danny pulled his daughter aside outside Steve's room, the team waiting beside him. "Uncle Steve is very different to how you remember him, okay? His talking, thinking and walking were permanently affected. He's come a long way since the accident but still got more to go." Grace nodded, a solemn expression on her face.

"Does he remember me, Dad?"

"He certainly does. Now come on, let's go and say 'hello'!" Danny ushered everyone in, and relished in seeing Steve's face as everyone came in. He recognised Chin, Kono and Lou and repeated their names after Danny said them. But when he got to Grace Steve stood up, grabbed his walker and shuffled over to her.

"Gr-Gracie?" Steve stumbled over her name, the hard sounding words still difficult for him. Grace nodded and gently hugged him.

"I've missed you, Uncle Steve." She whispered. Danny subtly brushed a stray tear away before bringing in enough chairs for everyone. Everyone had a good time catching up with Steve, who was engrossed in helping Grace colour in her new adult colouring book. His coordination was still shaky and he couldn't keep in the lines but she didn't seem to mind.

After a couple of hours Danny's phone rang, and his heart sank when he answered the call from the governor, demanding that _all_ current members of Five 0 are to attend. While Steve was distracted with Grace, he quietly filled Chin, Kono and Lou in on their new case, before taking a deep breath and turning to Steve.

"Babe? Chin, Kono and Lou have to go to work now, so say goodbye."

"Oh… Bye Kono, Lou, Chin!" They bid farewell to Steve, patting his shoulder and Kono kissed his cheek on the way past him, before standing in the doorway waiting for Danny. Steve turned back to smile at Danny. "Danno stays?"

"No babe… Danno has to go too." Steve's face fell, as did Grace's as she hugged him goodbye. Danny drew him into a hug and kissed his forehead. "Danno loves you, Steve, and I'll be back to see you as soon as I can." He stood up to go, but wasn't prepared for Steve to clamp his arms around his waist and bury his face in Danny's stomach.

"No! Danno stays!" Steve cried, tears already seeping out onto Danny's shirt. "Stay! Please…"

Danny was stunned for a brief moment, and remembered what the nurse had told him when he hadn't visited for two weeks, and how Steve had been in his absence. He never wanted to make Steve feel like that again. At that thought, something inside of him snapped.

"Shh… it's okay Steve. Danno's staying here." Danny soothed him as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders, fingers stroking his hair. "I'm not going away, buddy, okay?" Steve nodded, still sobbing into Danny's belly. Danny glanced at Grace, who looked worried and then at Chin, Lou and Kono who were still standing in the doorway and looking emotional themselves.

"Tell Denning that I quit." Danny said with tears in his eyes. He gazed down and smiled forlornly at the man currently clinging to him like a limpet. "Steve's my priority now."


	4. Chapter 4

"Danny…"

"No, Chin. Please don't try and talk me out of it." Danny said. "I need to be here for Steve while he recovers, and I can't be if I'm always on call." Chin looked like he was going to argue, but another look at Danny who was still comforting Steve made him change his mind. Eventually he nodded.

"Alright… Look, we'd better go, brah. I'll let Denning know what you said, but you know that he's gonna want you to tell him in person." Chin said as Kono and Lou headed out.

"Yeah, I figured as much. I'll come by tomorrow and hand in my notice." Danny sighed. "See you tomorrow, man."

"Aloha, brah." Chin said before closing the door behind him.

"Danno?"

"Yeah, monkey?"

"Did you really just quit your job?" Danny nodded at her. "But you love your job!"

"Yeah, I do, Grace." Danny smiled, before looking down at Steve who was rubbing his eyes. "But I love Steve more… I'd give up anything for you or him." Grace sniffed and ducked her head. Danny grinned, shaking his head. Steve taking a deep breath and pulling back from Danny's stomach drew his attention back down at him. He felt his heart clench when he saw Steve's red face and puffy eyes, and knelt down to get eye level with him. Danny asked Grace to fetch him a towel and damp washcloth, and when she handed it to him he gently wiped Steve's face before patting it dry. When he finished he drew Steve in for a proper hug, peppering the side of his face with kisses when he sunk into him.

"Danno?" Steve mumbled into Danny's shoulder.

"Yeah, babe?"

"'m tired. Wanna sleep."

"Alright, buddy. Let's get you into bed." Danny helped Steve into a pair of loose fitting pyjamas and into the hospital bed, huddled under the covers. Danny knelt back down at the head of the bed.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Uncle Steve! Danno told me that you liked cats, so I brought you something." Grace rummaged through her bag, before pulling something out and showing him. Steve gasped and reached out for the stuffed cat toy.

"Cat!" Steve exclaimed as Grace handed him the toy. He held it in front of him and stroked its soft white fur, before bringing it close to his chest. Looking up at Grace, he beamed. "Thank you, Gr-Gracie. Steve likes cats." Steve mumbled sleepily. Danny ran his fingers through his partner's hair and watched as his eyelids started to drop.

"I'll come and see you tomorrow once I've sorted things out at work, okay babe? Danno loves you very much." Danny leant over and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Steve loves Danno." Steve whispered.

* * *

The morning after the visit, Danny went straight to the Governors office to hand in his resignation with immediate effect. It went down as well as he expected, but Danny didn't care. He was surprised though, when Denning said that he'd be paid for the rest of the month, and expressed his gratitude before he left to collect his – and Steve's, he realised with a pang – things from their offices.

The rest of the team helped him to bring everything to Steve's house, and instantly Danny had a problem. Steve's paintings and models of ships were fine, but he didn't know what to do with the frame full of his medals and his awards. He was worried that seeing them would trigger a memory from a mission and that this new Steve wouldn't know how to deal with it. For now, he put everything in their bedroom and decided that he'd deal with them when the renovations were finished. He'd got the number of a local building company that would be able to bump out the house to include a downstairs handicap accessible wet room for Steve - since he wouldn't be safely able to climb the stairs for the bathroom – and to convert John McGarrett's old office into a bedroom for Steve.

The move from the hospital to Steve's new rehab facility went well. However, because he was still having spasms and difficulty walking, the hospital had designed Steve a special, bigger wheelchair. It had a headrest to protect his head, padded straps that went over his shoulders and met in the middle of his chest and footplates that had cushions where his calves would go and that could be adjusted to lift his legs up. It would do a better job for him than a standard, less padded, wheelchair. Danny had never seen anything like it, and instantly rang the builders and asked them to also widen the doorways downstairs to fit Steve's new chair. After helping Steve to get dressed and into the new chair, Danny started to buckle the seatbelt across his lap.

"Danny, wait!" He jumped and looked behind him when he heard Alana's voice from the doorway. "Look." She nodded in Steve's direction and Danny turned his head back to watch him shakily push the clip into the slot until he heard the 'click'.

"All ready, Danno!" Steve looked up at Danny with a smile.

"You definitely are, babe. Well done." Danny said with a proud look on his face, squeezing Steve's hand that reached for him. He handed him his cat toy that Grace had got for him before standing up to meet Alana.

"I know you want to help him, Danny, but if Steve can do something then let him do it. It all helps to practice his coordination and motor skills, and he'll get a sense of accomplishment for actually doing something, as you saw."

"I know, it's just… habit to help him after all these months." Danny sighed and ran a hand over his face, a small smile coming out when he saw Steve squeeze the toy close. "Thank you so much for everything you guys have done for him, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. Do you have any more bags?" She said, gesturing to the large rucksack on Danny's back that was full of Steve's medication, clothes and an envelope containing the longest discharge letter containing diagnoses and treatments that Danny had ever seen. He'd been told to give that to the people at the facility when they get there.

"Nah, it's just this one, his walking frame is already in the ambulance. Thanks so much again." Danny shook Alana's hand then pushed Steve out of the ward, following the paramedics to the waiting ambulance that would take them one step closer to Steve coming home.

* * *

When they arrived, the paramedics wheeled Steve out of the ambulance and Danny climbed out after him, watching his partners face as he craned his head around to see his surroundings.

"Shall we go inside, babe?" Danny asked as he approached him. Steve looked a little unsure, but nodded, so Danny took it as a good sign and wheeled him inside, the ambulance crew driving off after Danny said that they didn't need to come in. He saw a man and a woman waiting for them when they arrived at the reception desk.

"Hi, I guess you guys are for us? I'm Danny, and this is Steve. Say 'hi', buddy." Danny squeezed his shoulder.

"Hi." Steve looked up and whispered, before quickly ducking his head down to look at his cat. He refused to let go of it most of the time now.

"Sorry, I guess he's shy. It's the first time he's been out of the hospital."

"That's alright, it's nice to meet you both. I'm J.C., and this is Jake. Jake's our physiotherapist and I'm more of a mental health therapist. I'll be on hand to help Steve with any negative thoughts that may come back about his missions, or anything else really."

J.C. shook Danny's hand. He held his hand out to Steve, who looked up at Danny with a worried look on his face.

"Go on babe, it's alright." Danny assured him with a smile. Steve turned back and bit his lip, before reaching out to shake J.C.'s hand.

"Thanks, Steve. Alright guys, let me show you around."

Jake left them to it as he had another resident in the facility to see but said he'd come back tomorrow once Steve had settled in, so J.C. took him and Danny on a tour of the place. He showed them the dining room and their physiotherapy gym before showing them the one room that, above all else, made Danny pick this place over any other – the large indoor swimming pool. J.C. agreed that some gentle physio sessions in the pool would be greatly beneficial to Steve, and Danny made a note to bring in their swimming trunks tomorrow. Looking at Steve, who seemed transfixed by the water, Danny knew that he made the right choice.

"Do you like the pool, babe?" Danny asked him.

Steve still held his cat close to his chest, but smiled up at him. "Yeah! Danno swim too?"

"With you? Of course I will, babe." Danny continued to push Steve along as the tour continued. J.C. took them to see the gardens outside, the day room where activities for the residents would take place, and then took them to see Steve's new room. Danny was pleased to see that was fairly big and that it looked out onto the gardens, and had an en-suite wet room. It also had a queen-sized bed, a reclining armchair and a couch big enough for two people.

"Do either of you have any questions?" J.C. said from the doorway. Steve was busy looking around at everything around him, and wouldn't look at Danny when he tried to get his attention.

"Doesn't look like it. Thanks for the tour, J.C."

"No problem, brah. We've finished serving dinner now but I'll get someone to bring you guys something. We'll get started with Steve's rehab tomorrow so that you guys can get things unpacked and some rest. Will you be here tomorrow, Danny?"

"Uh… well now that Steve's here I've got some builders in to renovate the house so that he has a room and a wet room downstairs, and that we can get his new chair through the doorways. I'll probably be at the house most of the day so would most likely be visiting every afternoon until he goes to bed." Danny brushed his hair back from his face as he gazed at Steve, who was frowning at his feet. "I'm guessing you need all of his meds? He's due some of the anti-spasm one soon."

"Yeah, see that cabinet next to his bed with the lockable door at the front? You can put them all in there. The nurse who brings you guys some food will give Steve his evening time medication too. See you guys tomorrow!" J.C. waved as he left, and Danny went about unpacking Steve's clothes and medication, chatting to him as he did so.

"Okay babe, that's everything put away. Did you wanna sit with me on the couch while we eat?" Steve nodded and unbuckled himself from the chair and, with Danny's help, shuffled the small distance to the couch. As soon as Danny landed on the couch Steve instantly slumped into his side and buried his face in Danny's neck, letting out a big sigh.

"Hey, what's wrong? Do you not like it here? I know it's a new place with new people, but it seems nice." Danny wrapped his arms around him.

"Hmm, I not… Danno staying?"

"I'll stay here until you go to sleep, babe, and then I'll try and visit you every day at some point. I'm making a bedroom in your house for you, and that takes time. Okay?" Steve nodded, and Danny sat him upright as the nurse brought in their dinner and prepared Steve's medication. When she tried to give it to him he shook his head and grabbed Danny's hand.

"Come on, Steve, it's your medication to stop the spasms." The nurse tried to coax him but Steve moved his head out of the spoons path, shaking his head even more.

"Don't worry, I'll give it to him. Thanks anyway." Danny said, squeezing Steve's hand to try and sooth him. The nurse nodded and left the little pot and spoon on the table next to their food before leaving them to it. Danny ran his free hand through his hair before cupping Steve's jaw to get him to look at him, a sad smile on his face. Steve didn't return his smile, just gazed at him. Sighing, Danny let go of him and grabbed his meds. He scooped the syrup-like liquid into the little spoon and brought it up to Steve's mouth. Danny wasn't surprised in the slightest when he opened his mouth and took his medicine, and so he carried on until the pot was empty.

"Th-thank you, Danno." Steve stumbled over the hard word.

"It's alright babe, but you have to let these guys give you your medication when I'm not here." Steve nodded. "Okay, now let's eat and then I'll help you into bed."

Danny practically inhaled his sandwich, so while Steve finished his he took the time to check in with the team and Grace to let them know that the move went well. He then helped Steve across the room to get into his pyjamas and into the bed.

"Danno?" Steve quietly asked.

"Yeah, babe?" Danny perched on the edge of the bed. Steve opened his mouth to try and reply, but couldn't seem to find the right words. Instead he reached across the gap between them and tugged on Danny's shirt.

"Hug?" He asked hopefully with a sad look on his face. Danny smiled and pulled the covers back before laying next to Steve.

"You never have to ask." Danny whispered as he pulled the other man into his arms, holding him close as Steve began to cry into his chest. "I know it's a new place and you want to go home, but you won't be here forever."

"Home with Danno?" Steve asked. Danny linked his fingers with Steve's where they were gripping his shirt.

"Yeah, home with Danno. I'm gonna look after you, babe." Danny continued to run his hand up and down his back as he slowly felt Steve's breathing even out as he fell asleep. He carefully eased out from underneath and pulled the covers over him, tucking his trusty cat toy under Steve's arm.

"Love you, Danno." Danny saw Steve's eyes half open as he stared at him. He knelt down and brushed his lips against Steve's forehead.

"Love you too babe, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. And be good, okay? They're here to help us." Steve nodded slowly before succumbing to sleep, face buried into the pillow. Danny looked at him fondly before closing his bedroom door, thanking J.C. again as he passed him on the way out.

* * *

Danny got back to Steve's house after getting a cab back to the hospital to collect his car. He made his way through up the stairs and collapsed onto Steve's bed, hugging the pillow close to him. It only faintly smelt of it's owner now, Danny realised, and suddenly the tears started coming and they wouldn't stop. He couldn't get the image of Steve asleep on his own in a strange place out of his head, and almost grabbed his keys and drove over there. But he resisted, assuring himself that the facility would phone him if Steve had any problems. His tears eventually subsided and he had just about enough energy left to strip his trousers and shirt off, before falling asleep, Steve's face still at the front of his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny was so relieved when Steve eventually came out of his shell after a week or so in the new facility. He could tell that Steve wasn't overly keen on a new environment that wasn't home and was still shy, but at least he was letting the nurses give him his medication and engaging in physiotherapy, so Danny took what he could get.

Steve had only had one episode of flashbacks, and fortunately Danny was with him at the time. A Naval officer had come to visit Steve after he'd been there for a week. He'd sat next to Danny on the couch while the officer asked them both a few questions, and when he'd finished he stood and saluted Steve, referring to him by his official title. Danny saw how wide his eyes suddenly went and had never seen him stand up so fast since he was injured. Steve was almost shouting at the officer and just repeating "No!" over and over again, and Danny jumped up to restrain him by wrapping his arms around his biceps and chest as J.C. and a few nurses came running into his room.

"I don't care what rank you are or who sent you, you need to leave now!" Danny shouted at him over Steve, who was now feebly trying to hit himself and Danny's arm. The officer beat a hasty retreat and left Danny to calm him down.

"Sshh, it's okay babe, he's gone now. Danno's here." He soothed. Danny wasn't prepared for Steve to slump against him, and ended up collapsing back onto the couch with Steve in his arms on his lap, rocking back and forth. His shouting had quietened down and he was now mumbling to himself, tears streaming down his face and clinging onto Danny with his left hand. His right side had gone rigid and contracted, so the nurses were bury preparing and giving Steve an emergency dose of his spasm and pain medication.

"What the hell was that?!" Danny asked J.C., while holding Steve close to him. "Has anything like this happened before?" The man in question sighed.

"Never, nobody from the Navy has been to see him since he came here. What happened before we came in?"

"He was asking us some questions about progress, Steve wouldn't answer anything so I had to, but he was calm. Everything was fine until... until he saluted and called Steve 'Lieutenant Commander'." Realisation dawned upon Danny. "Do you think that triggered something?"

"Certainly seems that way. It must have triggered a memory from his Navy days. Steve no longer has the capacity to filter out memories from the present day – so to him, whatever he was seeing was really happening _now_." J.C. explained. "It's good that we know this now before he goes home."

"There's nothing good about this." Danny muttered as he adjusted Steve on his lap. He'd lost some weight but was still heavy.

"Well, no. But I expected him to need some heavy-duty meds to calm him down, judging by what I heard coming down the corridor. He probably would have needed them if you weren't here to calm him down – which is good, we try and avoid doping people up with strong meds when we can. I've never seen anyone calm down that quickly from an episode. He must trust you a lot." J.C. said. Danny let everything sink in, and just sat there quietly for a few minutes holding Steve close to him.

"Danno?" A quiet voice said into his collarbone.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Bad man gone?" Danny smiled in spite of himself, and pressed a soft kiss into the top of his head. He wasn't sure if Steve meant the Naval officer or whoever appeared in his flashback, but he was sure with the officer gone that his hallucination had also stopped.

"Yeah, buddy. He's gone." Steve sniffed and wiped his face before lifting his face to give Danny a small smile, which the blonde returned.

"Hey Steve," J.C. said as the nurses put his medication away and left them too it. "Are you hungry or do you just want to go to bed?"

"Both." Steve mumbled into Danny's neck, so together he and J.C. got Steve into a pair of loose pajamas and sitting up in bed before the therapist left to go and get him some food. Danny pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat chatting calmly to Steve about anything he could think of that would bring a smile to his face until J.C. brought his dinner.

"Danno help Steve?" Steve asked, holding his toy cat close to his chest and gazing at Danny.

"Okay, babe." Fortunately he was able to keep up his one-sided conversation while spooning the chicken and rice dish into Steve's mouth.

"Thank you, Danno." Steve said after Danny had cleared the bowl away and sat on the edge of the bed. "Steve was scared." He whispered. Danny pulled him into his side.

"If you feel sad or if someone says or does something bad to you then you need to tell me straight away and Danno will fix it." Steve nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Danny's cheek, before allowing Danny to tuck him under the covers.

"Danno fixes everything." He said with a smile, his eyes fixed on Danny's. The blonde swallowed past the lump in his throat as he said goodbye to Steve, thanking the staff on the way out.

* * *

Danny brought his and Steve's swimming trunks when he came back one day a week later. He arrived early to catch Jake for the go-ahead to get Steve in the pool, and so caught Steve when he was in the middle of an arts and crafts session with one of the other therapists. He was colouring in a picture with a serious look on his face, but when he saw Danny he panicked and rushed to hide the piece of paper underneath some nearby magazines.

"No! Danno not see yet, not finished!" Steve shouted.

"Woah, okay! I'm not looking." Danny shut his eyes and covered them with his hands. Steve looked at him to make sure that Danny wasn't peeking, before giving the unfinished drawing to the therapist who rushed over when Steve started shouting. He made sure that she'd put it safely in her office before turning back to Danny.

"Safe now, Danno." Danny opened his eyes and smiled down at Steve. "Hi."

"Hi, babe." Steve just smiled up at him from his wheelchair, before his eyes were drawn to the bag Danny was holding.

"Danno?" His eyes flicked between Danny's face and the bag. It took a few seconds for Danny to realise what he was trying to say.

"What's in the bag?" Steve nodded. "It's our swimming trunks, I figured a swim in the pool might cheer you up?"

"Yeah!" Steve beamed up at him. "Danno swim with Steve!" Danny laughed at his excitement and Steve was almost bouncing in the chair with glee as Danny wheeled him to the pool, meeting Jake as he came out of the changing rooms. Steve was adamant, though, that he didn't want him to help him get changed, only Danny. Danny expected a bit of persuasion but Jake easily agreed and left him to sooth Steve while helping him into his trunks.

"Why didn't you want him to help you, babe? Plenty of people helped you get changed in the hospital when you were poorly, why now?" At Steve's embarrassed look, it dawned on Danny. "That's the reason, isn't it? You don't want anymore new people to see you undressed?" Steve shook his head and hugged his arms close to his now bare chest. Danny fastened his trunks before running his hands up and down his sides.

"Not want them to see me. Private." Steve mumbled, giving Danny the full picture. "Only Danno."

"Okay babe, thank you for telling me. If I'm here then of course I'll help you, but if I'm not and you need help – like getting dressed in the morning – then the nurses have to help you, alright?" Steve nodded, so Danny drew him into a brief hug before helping him sit on the bench so he could get changed himself.

Danny helped him slowly walk the short distance from the changing rooms to the pool, Steve's right leg dragging behind him. Jake was already in the pool waiting for them, encouraging Steve as they made their way down the ramp and into the pool. Danny held him close as they waded in up to Steve's waist, and held his breath as Steve let go of his arm and waved a hand around in the warm water. His smile at Danny was so huge that the blonde man was sure that it must be hurting him, but it didn't stop Danny from giving him one in return.

"Okay buddy, shall we get a bit deeper?" Steve nodded, so Danny walked them a little further until he almost couldn't feel the floor anymore. The water was up to Steve's chest now, so Danny wrapped his arms around his waist and used the buoyancy of the water to hold him up. Steve had his arms around Danny's shoulders and was sliding his feet along the floor, testing his balance, so Danny gently prized him away and moved backwards until they were both their arms lengths away with Steve clinging to his fingertips.

"Hey, Steve?" Jake asked, keeping a safe distance from the two men but staying close enough should Steve have any trouble. "Try walking towards Danny." Steve bit his lip and looked at Danny, but the blonde man simply smiled and squeezed his hands. Steve dropped his gaze to his legs underwater and slowly lifted one foot forward and then the other, until he was only a meter away from Danny when suddenly Steve let go of his hands. Danny went to grab him, but Jake put his hand out to stop him, telling him to wait. Danny stared at Steve and saw just how determined he was, his arms slightly out beside him for balance. Danny felt a lump in his throat as Steve finally, after months of physiotherapy, took his first steps towards him with nobody or any equipment holding him up. He didn't even protest when Steve slammed into him, splashing water in between them. Jake cheered, but Danny didn't seem to notice anything apart from the man in his arms.

"I'm so proud of you, baby." Danny whispered as he pressed kisses to the side of his face.

"For Danno. Home." Steve mumbled, and Danny had to blink back tears at the realization that Steve had taken his first unaided steps because he wanted to _go home with him._ After a few moments, Danny and Jake repeated the exercise with Steve and got him walking unaided a few more times, each time going a bit further. Jake said that the water was making it easier for Steve's leg muscles to work to move them, as he hadn't been walking properly for some time now, but after a few more sessions in the pool, he hoped to use the same exercise to get Steve walking on dry land.

They called it a night when Steve started to get tired, and so Danny helped him out and changed back into his clothes before wheeling him to the dining room to have some dinner, before going back to Steve's room and helping the brunette change into his pyjamas and get into bed.

"I'm so proud of you for today, Steve. Once you're doing fine on your own, I can take you home once everything is ready." Danny said as he knelt on the floor next to him, gently carding his fingers through Steve's hair with one hand. Steve gazed at him with half-closed eyes and smiled, holding his toy cat close under the covers.

"Steve, Danno… Home." He whispered, before opening his eyes fully suddenly. "Gracie?" He no longer stumbled over the hard word, but it look him a second to say it as he prolonged the 'r'.

"Yeah, babe. Gracie stays with us too, if you want her to." Danny smiled; he should have known that an irreversible brain injury wouldn't stop Steve thinking about his daughter.

"Home. Steve, Danno, Gracie… home." Steve repeated, yawning halfway through.

"Yup, Steve, Danno and Gracie. Now get some sleep, babe, we're gonna practise walking every day so we can get home quicker. Also, it's my birthday tomorrow so I figured I'd bring Gracie here tomorrow afternoon and we could have our own little party, what do you think?" Steve furiously nodded and grabbed Danny's free hand.

"J.C. told Steve already, making something for Danno." He told him, and Danny instantly thought of the drawing that Steve had hidden from him earlier. He didn't let on, though.

"For me? Babe that's so sweet, I look forward to seeing it!" Danny smiled, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Now come on. The sooner you sleep, the sooner tomorrow will get here and you can show me my present. Danno loves you."

"Steve loves Danno." Steve said quietly as his eyes closed, and Danny carried on stroking his hair until Steve fell asleep.

* * *

When Danny woke up on the morning of his birthday, he was sad that he wasn't waking up next to Steve, but Grace bringing him breakfast in bed soon fixed that. They had a relaxing morning together lounging in front of the TV before meeting up with Chin, Kono and Lou at Kamekona's truck for lunch, with the big man joining them in celebrating Danny's birthday.

"So, are you going to visit Steve later on?" Kono asked. The team visit him whenever they can between cases, to make sure that Steve still has that support network around him.

"Yeah, Grace and I are going over there soon and have a little party with him, he says he'd make me something. When I got there yesterday he quickly hid a drawing from me so I bet it's probably that." Danny said, unable to help smiling.

"That's good, brah. When's Steve coming home then? I've got an idea for a new shrimp sauce recipe and need some taste testers." Kamekona asked, while everyone subtly cringed, remembering the last new recipe.

"I dunno man, probably once his walking is better and he can do more for himself. The house will be finished by the end of the week, the guys just need to install the new bath. His new room is all done, I just need to buy everything to go in it." Danny said, before confiding in everyone that he was starting to get a bit nervous at Steve finally coming home. He'd been in hospital for months, and while he was perfectly capable of looking after him, Danny wasn't sure what to do with him once he was home.

"I'm sure there's day centres and programmes for people like Steve, Danny, we'll help you find one. But what are you going to do for money? The Navy is paying for him right now, but his pension won't last forever." Chin voiced, and Danny nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know… Well actually, I got a phone call from Governor Denning the other day about a job offer. I told him that I couldn't come back to 5-0 like before because of Steve, but he said he had something else in mind." Danny looked at the others, and sighed as they motioned for him to carry on. "He asked if I wanted a something like a 9-3 job that works around Steve, doing the paperwork for you guys. Weekdays only, of course. It seems like a good deal, no chance of being called into work at all hours of the day and night and leave me struggling to find someone to look after Steve. What do you guys think?"

"Seems pretty good, Danny! I know we'd all appreciate having someone to help with the paperwork, and you know how to do it. Plus, if Steve gets into a day centre you'll need something to do during the day." Lou said, everyone else nodded in agreement.

"You miss your job, Danno." Grace piped up from next to him. "You should take it." Danny put his arm around her.

"Alright, monkey. I'll sort it all out tomorrow." Danny smiled. " Right, we'd best get going and see Uncle Steve. See you guys soon!" Grace and he bid farewell to everyone and headed off in the Camaro.

A bag full of goodies in one hand and Grace's hand in the other, Danny walked down the rehabs corridor and into Steve's room. Steve was sitting in his wheelchair by the large window, and his face erupted into a giant smile when he saw both of them at the doorway.

"Danno! Gracie!" His right arm held his toy cat and an envelope against his chest but he still held Grace in a hug with his left arm. Eventually he let her go and welcomed Danny wrapping both arms around him as best he could. "Happy birthday Danno!" Steve exclaimed to Danny as he and Grace sat on the couch next to his chair.

"Thank you, babe." Danny said. "What's that you've got there?" He pointed to the envelope. Steve grabbed with his left hand and handed it to him.

"For Danno!" Steve said, just before grimacing as a painful spasm went through his right side, causing the limbs on that side to contract. Danny jumped up and grabbed his left hand that was still outstretched towards him.

"Steve, have you had your medicine, buddy?" Steve made an affirmative noise, so Danny turned to his daughter. "Gracie, can you go and find a nurse for me please? Tell them that Uncle Steve is having a bad spasm." Grace nodded and jogged out of the room. Danny stroked Steve's hair with his free hand, whispering soothing words to him.

"Danno…" Steve whimpered. "Hurts bad…"

"Sshh, I know baby. Gracie's gone to look for a nurse." Danny said, and on cue she came back with one of the nurses in tow.

"Hey Steve, do you need something for the pain?" The nurse said. Steve nodded, so she unlocked his medication cabinet and drew up some pain relief syrup into a small syringe before bringing it over to him. "I'm gonna put this medicine in your mouth and you need to swallow it, okay?" The nurse put the tip of the syringe in his mouth and pushed the medication in, Steve eagerly swallowing it down.

"Thanks a lot." Danny said as the nurse put the meds away.

"No problem – let me know if he's still in pin after a while, he's got stronger pain medication that he could have, but it will make him very sleepy." The nurse said before leaving the room.

"You'll feel better soon, okay babe?" Danny said. Steve nodded, but looked at him with a sad look on his face.

"Sorry, Danno." He mumbled. "Steve bad." Shocked, Danny gently rubbed Steve's right side as the spasm started to subside.

"Hey, none of that. It's not your fault and you're not bad. It just happens."

"Yeah, Uncle Steve." Grace said from Steve's other side, a hand on his shoulder. "It's just one of those things." Danny smiled at her when Steve nodded.

"Now, shall I open my card now?" Danny asked. This cheered Steve up and he nodded, staring intensely as Danny opened the envelope and pulled out a birthday card and a folded piece of paper. He opened the card first, and his heart stopped. Inside, in slightly large, wobbly and messy handwriting were the words "To Danno". Underneath was the cards birthday message, then "Love from Steve" was underneath in that messy handwriting, with several 'x's underneath for kisses.

"Did you write that, Uncle Steve?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, Gracie."

"That's so cool! Isn't it, Danno?" Danny could only nod, not trusting his voice right now. "What about the bit of paper?" Steve bit his lip as the blonde unfolded the picture that he had hidden the day before. Grace went round to Danny's side to look at the now finished picture that Danny can see instantly is meant to be Steve and himself on the beach. It had the same elegance as a child's drawing, but Danny didn't care, as he knew that Steve had put his heart into it, as well as the card.

"Steve practised spelling." The man whispered, still staring at Danny who was now gazing back at him. "For Danno."

"It's the best present ever, babe. I love it, thank you so much!" Danny choked out, pressing a kiss to the side of a grinning Steve's head.

The rest of the afternoon passed with only one more spasm from Steve, which Danny was very grateful for. The three of them enjoyed the food that Danny had brought from Kamekona, especially Steve even if he ended up wearing most of his. Grace took some photos on her phone, which she promised to send to her father. Eventually, Steve started to fall asleep while Danny was clearing up their mess, so Grace said goodnight to Steve after telling Danny that Rachel was picking her up from the facility.

"So, did you have fun today?" Danny asked as he got Steve changed and into bed, lying on his side next to him.

"Yeah, Danno. Miss you when you go." Steve whispered, burrowing into Danny's arms

"I miss you too, baby. I miss you so much, but hopefully you can go home sometime this month." Danny said, holding him close as Steve fell asleep almost instantly, the excitement and pain from earlier having worn him out. He knew that Steve currently didn't have a complete grasp on the concept of time, but it was also a reminder to himself that they were almost there.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Steve progressed enough that he was finally hobbling around with only a brace on his right leg to support him. He could shuffle along a little while without it, but his leg would soon grow tired, spasm and buckle from under him. Jake explained that this was due to the brain damage that Steve sustained meaning he couldn't control that side of his body fully, and most likely wouldn't get any better. He also said that the spasms can be managed by his medication, but would most likely be permanent. Danny accepted this as part and parcel of his condition, and the nurses taught him how to manage and administer his meds so that he could do them for Steve when he goes home.

Because he was now walking, the team at the rehab had reassessed him and deemed Steve as fit to go home. The house was ready for him; his new bedroom and the wet room downstairs were finished and furnished, and Steve was bouncing with excitement when he saw Danny pull up outside the facility from where he was standing outside with Jake and J.C and his bags of clothes and medication on the ground beside him.

"Danno!" Steve greeted Danny as he walked towards them by charging into him, and Danny had to stumble and hold him upright.

"Woah, steady on babe! I know you're excited but you need to slow down." Danny told him.

"Sorry." Steve apologized, and stood back as Danny loaded his bags into the Camaro.

"You know where we are if you need anything, Danny, don't hesitate to call us if you have any problems." J.C. said as he and Jake shook Danny's hand.

"I will, thanks so much for everything you've done for Steve – for us, really. I can't even begin to describe how much this place has helped us." Danny said as Steve took his hand. "What do you say, babe?"

"Th-thank you Jake and J.C. for helping Steve." He said, blushing.

"You're very welcome, brah." Jake said. "Now it's time to go home!" He helped Steve into the front of the Camaro as Danny got in the drivers seat, and the brunette waved goodbye as Danny finally drove them both home.


	6. Chapter 6

The entire way home Steve's head would not stay still as he looked around at his surroundings on the journey home. He was fascinated by everything outside, which made Danny a little sad when he realised how long Steve has spent inside.

"Once we've unpacked shall we have some lunch outside, babe?" Danny asked as they pulled into the drive.

"Yeah please, Danno!" Steve beamed at him, and waited for him to unload his bags from the back and come round to open his door before stepping out of the car. Danny gazed up at him as he took a deep breath before walking up the path and inside the house. Danny had tidied thoroughly after the builders had left; making sure that everything was just as it was before. Steve followed him as Danny showed him around the ground floor, and was transfixed by the brand new walk-in bath that was in the wet room. There was also a shower unit with a fold-up chair on the wall on the other side as well, though Steve would have to be supervised with it.

"Ready to see your new room?" Danny asked as they stood outside the closed door to the bedroom. Steve nodded, and was in awe as he walked in and explored everything; from the large pictures of ships that once adorned his office that were now hanging on the walls, to some photos of him, Danny, Grace and some of the whole Five-0 team that were on top of the chest of drawers containing Steve's clothes. Danny had kept most of his old shirts and cargo pants, but had bought more casual pants that would be easier to wear over the brace. His wheelchair had been moved from the rehab centre the day before and was in a corner of Steve's room, which Danny had painted a regular magnolia colour that went with the maroon carpet. His new queen-sized bed already had a few old stuffed toys of Grace's on it that she said Steve could have, and Steve gently placed his trusty cat next to them.

"Cat's new friends!" He said while pointing at all the stuffed animals lined up on top of the silver bedding.

"That's nice, babe." Danny smiled, before taking Steve into the kitchen to grab the sandwiches he'd made before heading out onto the lanai. Sitting in the chairs that overlooked their private beach and the sea, Danny could close his eyes and easily forget everything that had happened over the last few months and pretend that they were having a regular lunch as always. Except that the Steve sitting next to him was drinking his juice from a plastic beaker with handles and was wearing a plastic bib that the rehab centre sent home with him. His coordination wasn't very good on his right side and Danny often had to catch falling bits of food and cups when he'd visited Steve in rehab.

"Danno?" Steve asked once they'd finished eating, and Danny had given him his lunchtime medication. "Where Gracie?"

"'Where's' Gracie, buddy." Danny gently corrected. "She'll be coming home from school any second now, I haven't told her that you're home. Thought you could surprise her." Steve grinned, nodding.

"Steve missed her."

"I know you did, babe. She's missed you, too." Danny said while helping Steve to stand up, before bringing their plates into the kitchen to wash up. Danny was telling him about Kono's upcoming wedding to Adam that was happening in a few weeks, until a loud shriek nearly gave him a heart attack.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace ran up and flung her arms around him. "I didn't know you'd be coming home today!" Steve just stood there for a few seconds before his arms slowly came around her.

"Steve surprise for Gracie." He said, before looking at Danny, who was smiling at the scene in front of him. "Danno, Gracie, Steve. Home."

"That's right, buddy." Danny whispered as he wrapped his arms around his two favourite people.

* * *

Once Grace had gotten over the initial shock of Steve being at home, the two of them sat on the couch as she told him all about what she'd been up to at school. Danny listened from where he was cooking dinner in the kitchen; he wasn't sure if Steve could fully understand all of what Grace was saying judging by his face when Danny popped his head round the wall, but Steve seemed content so Danny was happy to leave them to it.

All three of them had a smile on their faces during dinner. Danny even let Grace stay up an extra hour to spend more time with Steve before sending her up to bed, which she did with no complaints. Steve's bedtime was less straightforward.

Danny had asked him to get his pyjamas on and use the bathroom before getting into bed, which he did with no problems. Danny sat with him while he got comfortable, gave him his evening medication, and then grabbed a book from the nearby shelf and read Steve a story when he asked for one. He'd bought some children's books after one of the nurses told him that she'd had success with bedtime stories being used to calm and ready them to sleep – much like you would with a child - with a fair few of some of the residents in the rehab, including Steve. He was skeptical at first, but after trying it one evening that Steve was still in rehab when he refused to sleep Danny was amazed that it worked.

Danny lifted one arm up and Steve curled into his side and gazed at the pictures in the book that he had on his lap, hearing and feeling the vibrations of Danny's voice as he read aloud. After a little while, Danny looked down and saw that Steve's eyes were almost shut and his breathing was evening out, so he carefully extracted himself from him and settled him fully under the covers before kissing his cheek.

"Love you, babe. I'll see you in the morning, okay? Wait for me to come down and get you." Danny whispered into his ear before standing up. He flicked the light switch off on his way out and was about to shut the door behind him when a noise behind him made him turn around.

"No, Danno!" Steve said loudly. He was sat upright in bed, holding his covers around him where they fell down against his waist. He was shaking and staring at Danny.

"Steve, Danno has to go to sleep too. I'll still be here when you wake up. " Danny explained as he sat next to him, but Steve shook his head.

"Please, Danno... no dark." Steve whispered with a wavering voice, still shaking his head as he hugged the covers closer to his chest. "Steve no like dark. Bad."

"Oh, babe..." Danny hugged him close and rubbed his back. "I didn't know, I'm sorry. We can go and buy you a special light that stays on at bedtime tomorrow, so tonight do you want Danno to stay with you?"

"Please, Danno stay with Steve." His eyes were brimming with tears, so Danny told Steve to get back in bed while he changed into a spare pair of Steve's sweat pants before joining him under the covers. Steve instantly clung to his side as soon as Danny was settled on his back and buried his face in his neck.

"It's alright now, buddy. Danno's here." Danny soothed him as he felt Steve's tears hit his skin. He wrapped his arms around Steve and ran a hand up and down his back as he cried quietly.

"Sorry, Danno." Steve mumbled. "Steve bad." Danny pulled him away slightly so he could roll onto his side and face him, cupping the side of his face and brushing the tear tracks away with his thumb.

"Hey, look at me." Danny whispered, and waiting until Steve's eyes focused on him before continuing. "None of this is your fault, do you understand me? None of it." Steve nodded. "I know you're frustrated with not being able to talk properly and everything's changed, but we'll deal with it _together_. That part will never change, baby, because Danno loves you very much." Danny was nearly in tears himself by the end, but held it together for Steve's sake.

"And Steve loves Danno." He said, before stifling a yawn in his pillow. "Steve always loves Danno."

"I know, babe. Now come on, it's getting late and I know you're really tired." Danny said as he rolled back onto his back and brought Steve back into his side, wrapping him in his arms and the covers.

Steve fell asleep almost instantly, but Danny wasn't so lucky. He hadn't lain in the same bed as Steve to sleep in _so long,_ and his nether regions were starting to react to the warm, familiar body lying half on top of him. Danny thought of the most disgusting things he could think of to will those feelings away, and thankfully it worked. Realising that he'd never have that kind of a relationship with Steve ever again was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Danny didn't even know how much he remembered of their relationship, if anything at all. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to having with Steve at all if it ever came up.

But he still loved him.

And that was why he stayed. Why he hadn't run for the hills as soon as he realised that Steve would never be the man he was. That thought had never entered his head. He was still the same man that Danny had fallen in love with, just… different. _Okay,_ Danny thought with a sigh, _a lot different._ He used to be Steve's boyfriend and official partner in Five-0 – now he was officially his full-time carer as he could no longer live on his own for his own safety.

Steve shuffled closer in his sleep, which brought Danny out of his reverie as he subconsciously kissed the top of his head. He'd love Steve, brain damaged or not, until his dying day. And he knew that Steve still felt the same way, if the past few months were anything to go by. Danny took a deep breath and inhaled his familiar scent, which instantly relaxed him and he was asleep within minutes.

* * *

Steve's first week at home passed by fairly quickly, Danny thought. He'd got a nightlight for Steve's room and there'd been no more trouble at bedtime. Everyone had visited them at home and brought enough food that Danny wouldn't have to go grocery shopping for several weeks. Steve had to be careful with what he ate; His swallowing had been slightly affected due to his brain damage and to prevent him choking he was advised by the dietician in hospital to maintain a diet of moist, soft foods with plenty of sauce, and to drink plenty when eating to help with swallowing. Danny had also phoned Mary and let her know that they were home. He had been phoning her once a week since the incident to let her know how Steve was doing, and she said that she'd visit with Joan next week. Steve vaguely remembered her, and was excited at the thought of her coming to visit him.

But the main result for Danny was that after lots of research and visiting, they'd found a day centre that provided activities for people like Steve that was suitable.

"We mainly have people who are developmentally challenged from birth," The owner of the centre said as she showed Danny and Steve around. "But we sometimes get people who've suffered brain injuries in adulthood like your friend has. Rest assured that we'd give the right support for Steve for his specific care needs. We provide programmes that help our clients with maths, spelling, reading and writing, speech and arts and crafts skills. Taking part in the group activities also helps them to improve their socializing skills."

"Sounds good to me, what do you think, babe?" Danny said to Steve, who stopped looking around at the different activities taking place at the group tables to nod at him.

"Yeah, Danno." Danny smiled, and together they followed the owner to her office to sign the necessary paperwork. After the weekend, Steve would attend the centre four days in the week, giving him one weekday and weekends at home with Danny. They had a large minibus that drove round and picked up clients from their homes before dropping them off at the end of the day, which saved Danny having to drop him off on his way to work. Steve wouldn't need his wheelchair unless he was having a bad pain day.

This also gave Danny time to work at Five-0 doing paperwork for the rest of the team. Truth be told, he was looking forward to going back to work - to having some sense of normality back in his life. Once they arrived home, Danny settled Steve in front of the TV watching one of his many nature documentaries that Danny had recorded for him, before going into the kitchen to phone Governor Denning in private. He told him that he could start work on Monday morning and that he'd work from 9 until 3, giving him time to get home before either Steve or Grace do. Denning thanked Danny again for taking him up on the job offer, and Danny thanked him again for giving him another chance before hanging up the call.

Danny leant against the kitchen counter and closed his eyes, thinking. Maybe quitting his job without considering anything wasn't the best idea. He'd never get another one like it. But he couldn't be Steve's carer with a job that meant he never knew when he'd be coming home, or even _if_ he was coming home. If he died out there in the field Steve would end up in another facility, but this time for the rest of his life, surrounded by and having to rely on people that he didn't know. Just thinking about it sent a shiver up Danny's spine, and he moved to stand in the doorway to gaze at the man transfixed by the TV. It reminded him of why he made that sacrifice of his career and effectively put his life on hold.

He'd once referred to Steve as a 'half baked cookie – soft and gooey on the inside', and it was still true – perhaps even more so now. Danny thought of the collection of soft animals on his bed that he played with most mornings, the cat plush that had never left his side since Grace gave it to him in hospital, and his birthday gifts to Danny. He'd framed them, the beach picture hanging in Steve's room and his birthday card was on the bedside table in Danny's room. He'd never hurt a fly now, all of his military and combat training gone from his memory.

A knock at the door startled Danny out of his daydream, and Steve looked at the door and then at Danny. "I'll go see who it is, babe." His eyes went wide as he looked through the peephole, and he backed away from the door. "Shit." He muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Danno?" Steve looked at him with a confused look. Danny bit his lip, before going to crouch in front of him.

"Steve, whatever happens I want you to know that Danno loves you, okay?" Steve nodded, and Danny squeezed his hands before going to open the door.

"Danny?"

"Hi, Doris." He moved to the side to let her in, eyes automatically going to Steve. Danny held his breath as Doris carefully approached her son and sat beside him.

"Hi Stevie… remember me?" She asked. Steve slowly turned his head to look at her, and Danny could almost see the gears grinding in his head as he tried to think. He stared at her for a long time. "It's Mom." She held his hand.

"Danno?" Steve looked up at him, worried and eyes wide.

"It's alright, buddy." Danny nodded.

"Don't…" Steve shook his head, his free hand clenched. "Don't know." Danny felt slightly sorry for Doris as he saw her smile drop instantly.

"That's okay… is it alright if I stay and chat for a little while?" She asked him tentatively. Slowly, Steve nodded, and Danny left them to it while he started to prepare dinner in the kitchen. He didn't want to intrude on Steve's privacy but he couldn't help but overhear some of the things that Doris was asking him - and judging by her reactions and the slight change of tone in her voice Steve wasn't giving her the answers she'd expected. If Danny didn't know any better he'd say that Doris was loosing her patience. She then lowered the volume of her voice and asked him another question, and Danny didn't hear any responses from Steve. He'd just put their dinner in the oven, when he heard someone enter the kitchen.

"I… I didn't realise how much he's changed." Doris said.

"Hard, isn't it?" Danny said.

"He didn't really answer any of my questions, just sat there. I could tell he wanted to say something most of the time by the look on his face, but he didn't." Danny sighed.

"He knows what he wants to say, but his brain has trouble finding the right words. His speech is also limited, Steve doesn't do long sentences."

"I see… But Danny, how are you coping?" Doris asked, folding her arms. "Having Steve at home, I mean."

"It's… Yeah, it's hard, like I said. But we have a routine, and it works. Steve starts going to a day centre on Monday that caters for people like him, he calls it a 'special school' which it kind of is, and I go back to work but on a fixed hours contract so I can be here for him. It works out good for Grace too as they're both out at the same time, except for this week as she's at her mothers."

"Is that it?" Danny blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Steve clearly needs full time care in a special facility, Danny, with qualified carers." Doris said.

"And that's your opinion based on, what – a 30 minute visit and whatever Joe White told you? Oh yeah, I know he's kept you up to date." Danny was starting see where this was going.

"I've found a great place that's perfect and could take him tomorrow!"

"No."

"I told Steve about it, but he just looked away and-" Danny felt the blood drain from his face.

"You what?! You told him about it? What did you say?" Danny tried to keep his voice down, but it was difficult.

"Pretty much what I've just said, that I'd found a new place for him to live that's better for him."

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but a noise from down the hall caught his attention. "Stay there, I'll be back." He told Doris as he went to investigate, and found Steve sitting on his bed holding his cat. He looked up when he heard Danny come in, and the blonde saw that he'd been crying. He sat next to him and slid an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Danno not want Steve." Steve's voice wavered.

"What makes you say that?" Danny asked, trying to keep calm, as he knew all too well why he said it.

"She said new place." Steve said in a quiet voice, looking down at his hands. Danny decided that he hated Doris for making him think that Danny didn't want him.

"No, babe! Danno wants you and loves you very much, remember what I said earlier?" Steve nodded. "You're not going anywhere Steve… unless you want to." His head shot up and looked at Danny with wide eyes.

"No! Steve stay here with Danno! Home!" Steve twisted his fingers of one hand in Danny's shirt as he buried his face in his shoulder. "Please…"

"Sshh… it's okay, Steve. You're not going anywhere, Danno promises." Steve let out a deep breath. "Why don't you have a nap before dinner, buddy, I know you're getting tired. And Danno will fix everything." Steve nodded, and let Danny move him until he was lying on top of the covers, covered by one of his soft blankets. Danny stayed with him for a couple of minutes before returning to the kitchen.

"Is Steve okay?" Doris asked as Danny came back.

"He is now, no thanks to you. Because of what you said, he thought I didn't want him anymore – which of course I do." Danny scrubbed his face with his hands. "He's having a nap now, he normally does in the afternoon."

"I do wish you'd consider my offer, Danny. A mother knows best when it comes to her children. You may have been dating for two years, but he's _my_ _son_ and he deserves the best care possible."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this! You've not been a 'mother' to him since he was 16 and you abandoned him – and Mary, for that matter! I can't believe you've got the balls to come back after all this time and tell me that you don't think he should be here. The last time you saw him you got him to play 'ninjas' with you, and both you and Catherine lied to him." Danny exclaimed, hands going wild with gestures. "It's been months since Steve's injury – where were you when he was in hospital having brain surgery? When he was learning how to do the most basic of things again for himself? When he took his first steps on his own? When he started talking again? When he was sick or so tired from physiotherapy sessions that he had to be spoon-fed his food? Oh yeah, I'm sure the answer is "it's classified". I know that Joe told you what had happened, but still you didn't come until now."

"I'm sorry, Danny. Honestly. But yes – it is classified, I've been working-" Doris started, but Danny held a hand up to stop her.

"You know what? I-I don't wanna hear it. I've had enough. Steve is staying here with me – where he belongs. You may be his mother, but I'm his partner, medical proxy and next of kin. And… I'm sorry, Doris, but he doesn't really remember you. He most likely would have asked you where you've been, if he could."

"Even so-"

"No! If you take him away now and put him in a new place with new people, I guarantee that he'll withdraw into himself and won't even communicate with anyone. Here Steve is surrounded by familiar places and people who support him. His family is here, and I won't let you take him away. He's progressed so much, and I won't let you ruin everything."

Doris stared at him for a moment and Danny almost wished she'd fight back; show that she truly cared for Steve. But she didn't.

* * *

"I want you to go." Danny said quietly after a long period of silence. "All you've managed to do since you got here is confuse and upset Steve and piss me off. Hardly a productive afternoon if you ask me, and definitely not the way to convince me to move him elsewhere. Steve would only go somewhere else if I was physically unable to care for him, anyway." Danny said. Doris stared at him, his steely glare unsettling her.

"Alright." She nodded eventually. "Can I say goodbye to him?"

"If you want." Danny shrugged, and stayed in the kitchen as Doris left to say goodbye to Steve, before returning to say goodbye to Danny. He took a deep breath as he heard to front door shut, before going to check on Steve. He couldn't help but smile when he saw him looking at him in the doorway, Steve's face lighting up when he saw him.

"Danno!" Steve pushed himself upright as Danny sat on the edge of the bed, and launched into his arms. "She gone?"

"Yeah, babe, she's gone. Did you manage to have a nap?" Danny mumbled, any anger that was in him fading away.

"Hmm, Danno shouting." Steve said into his shoulder. "Steve stay here with Danno? Want to."

"Of course, baby. Danno wants you to stay here, very much. I'm sorry for shouting." Danny relished the feeling of the warm body in his arms. He couldn't picture Steve not being here with him, and the mere thought of it made him tighten his hold on Steve. "Dinner's ready soon, you hungry?" He nodded. "Okay, want to eat in here or watch TV and eat? You've got loads more animal programmes to go through."

"Animals." Steve smiled. Danny helped him into the lounge since he didn't have his brace on, and set about preparing their dinner. As he ate he watched Steve from the corner of his eye, his coordination still lacking but he was feeding himself, so he left him to it and concentrated on his own dinner. Danny tried to give his as much independence as he could, and along with washing himself and using the bathroom he could feed himself – unless he was tired or having a bad pain and/or spasm day. He banished all thoughts of Doris from his mind as they ate, it wouldn't help if he got himself worked up again and Steve might pick up on his bad mood.

Danny expected Steve to be clingy when it came to bedtime after the day's events, and he wasn't disappointed. After his bath he managed to get changed into pyjamas - Steve had learned that if he sat on the shower chair he could pull his trousers up on his own easier than if he was standing, which pleased both of them as it meant another thing Steve could do on his own – and then trundled across the hallway to his room.

Danny was already waiting in his bed with a book and Steve happily crawled under the covers and into his side under his arm. His head was on Danny's chest and Steve listened intently as he read the story, his arms wrapped around Danny's waist. Afterwards Danny reached over to place the book back on the shelf and only just managed it with Steve refusing to let go of him.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere, babe. You don't have to hold so tight, I'm staying here tonight." He said gently, his hand placed over Steve's. The other man shook his head into Danny's chest.

"Sorry, Danno."

"It's okay, are you still upset about what happened earlier?" Steve nodded.

"Not move, stay with Danno. Promised." He said quietly, and Danny tilted Steve's chin up to get him to look at him.

"I promise, you're staying here with me. I won't let anyone take you away." Steve smiled and tilted his head to rest his forehead against Danny's.

"Love you." He whispered, the warmth of his breath hitting Danny's face. He was so close it made the small hairs on the back of Danny's neck stand on end. He could see that Steve was staring at his lips, and could hear the blood rushing in his own ears.

Alarm bells started to go in Danny's head when he saw Steve tilt his head… and press a kiss to his cheek, before pulling back out of Danny's arms to sit by his side.

"Steve… did you want to kiss Danno?" Danny carefully asked him. It panicked him that he wasn't sure if he was excited or worried when Steve nodded. Did this mean that he was beginning to remember their relationship?

"Oh, babe…" Danny rubbed his back. "I'm afraid we can't do that."

Steve seemed absolutely _crushed_ , and looked at him with watery eyes _._ "Danno not love Steve anymore?" He asked. Danny felt the breath catch in his chest at the sight in front of him.

"Steve…" Danny soothed as he opened his arms, letting Steve burrow into his side and hide his face in his neck. "Of course I love you, baby. I love you so much, always." He felt Steve smile against his neck, and Danny kissed his forehead as he gently carded his fingers through Steve's hair. "But we still can't kiss like how you wanted to. Not any more."

"No kisses?" Steve asked. If anything he looked even sadder when Danny shook his head. Danny knew how much Steve loved kissing him before the accident; some memories from before were starting to bleed through, and it had to be his luck that this would happen after Doris's visit earlier.

"Oh babe, we kiss now. But you know how they do on TV? We can't do that anymore. Okay?" Steve let out a big sigh.

"But… Danno loves Steve! And Steve loves Danno!" Steve choked out past the lump in his throat. "Steve and Danno's together!"

"Steve, you know that I'll always love you. We were together… like that… before the accident. But we can't be together like that now." Danny tried to explain to him, not sure how much he would understand.

"Why not?"

"Because you're different now! You've got the mind of a child now, babe, and I could _never_ have that sort of relationship with you now! I want to, I wish things could be like they were, so much. But… things are different now, for both of us, babe. Do you understand?" Danny cupped Steve's face with one hand, the words hurting him even as he said them, and watched as the other man looked down at his hand gripping Danny's shirt and processed everything before finally looking up at him.

"Me… baby? St-stupid?" Steve said, tears rolling down his face. Danny's face fell as he pulled Steve onto his lap, holding him close but made sure that they could see each other's faces.

"No, Steve! You're not a baby, and you're definitely not stupid. You're just... different now! It'd be wrong to have a relationship like we had, I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you – and if someone found out then they'd take you away from me." Danny wiped Steve's tears away with his thumb.

"Danno still stay with Steve tonight?" The brunette asked hopefully. Danny kissed his forehead, breathing a small sigh of relief when Steve smiled slightly.

"Of course, buddy. Now come on, it's late and it's been a long day." Steve rubbed his eyes and burrowed under the covers as Danny switched his nightlight on before joining him.

"Danno loves you, okay?" Danny whispered as he wrapped Steve in his arms and the covers.

"Steve loves Danno." Steve replied before slowly falling asleep, face buried in Danny's neck and an arm slung across his chest.

Danny held him close as he processed everything that had just happened. His mind was reeling from what had almost happened, and he eventually fell asleep after playing it over and over again in his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday morning came around quickly, and before Danny knew it he was helping Steve to get ready for his first day at the day centre. He could tell that the other man was nervous as he barely said a word while he got dressed, his leg brace hidden underneath his trousers, so Danny pretty much was talking to himself. He expected Steve to want to bring his toy cat with him, but to Danny's surprise he placed it on his bed with his other toys before they left to wait outside for the bus. He didn't say anything to Steve about it in case it made his change his mind.

"You excited, babe?" Danny asked as they stood at the end of the drive. Steve grabbed his hand and nodded, his other hand holding a small rucksack with his medication, lunch, plastic bib and a change of clothes just in case.

"Will miss Danno." Steve bit his lip, as he always seemed to do now when he's worried about something.

"Aw babe, Danno will miss you too. It's your first time away from me for a little while." Danny squeezed his hand. "But it'll do you good to be around other people, and the staff there have my number if anything happens. And when you come home I'll be here and you can tell me all about it." Steve smiled. The bus then pulled up in front of them, and Danny pulled him into a hug before saying goodbye and helping him up the steps. Steve waved to him through the window as it drove off, and Danny had to stop himself from welling up as he waved back. If someone had said to him when he'd been told that Steve was permanently brain damaged and may not function again, that he'd be waving him off as he went to a learning centre almost eight months later, he'd have laughed in their face at the idea of it. Danny shook his head and smiled as he went back inside to get ready for work.

* * *

Danny was welcomed back to the Palace with open arms by everyone, and instantly dived into a mountain of paperwork to keep himself busy and to take his mind off of Steve. It worked for the first few hours as he got back into the swing of signing and filing forms, chatting to Kono who popped in every so often to see how he was doing, until the team got a call saying that a woman's body has been found in her house and dashed off to the crime scene.

On his own with no distractions, his mind drifted and he wondered what Steve was doing now and if he was okay. Several times he reached for his cell to phone the centre and ask himself, but resisted. _You'll see him in three hours, Williams. Chill out!_ _If something had happened they'd have called you. He's fine._ The rational part of his brain told him, and he nodded to himself and carried on furiously filling in forms, until the next thing he knew it was 15:00 and he was heading off home, pleasantly surprised at how quick his first day went.

He stayed outside and watched Steve as he climbed down the steps of the bus after it pulled to a stop and made his way up the path to where Danny was waiting on the porch.

"Danno!" Steve exclaimed as he walked into Danny's open arms. The blonde hugged him tightly before letting go and ushering him inside.

"Hey buddy! How was your first day?" Danny asked as they sat on the couch.

"Hmm. Did painting, then lunch, then practiced numbers."

"Sounds like fun, did you enjoy it?"

Steve frowned. "Not numbers. Hard."

Danny squeezed his knee. "Aw, babe. It'll get easier, don't worry about it. What did you paint?" Danny asked. That brought a small smile to Steve's face as he began rummaging through his rucksack before bringing out two A4 pieces of paper and handing them to Danny. One had two handprints in blue paint and a wobbly outline drawn on in pen, the other was of what Danny can guess is meant to be a cat.

"Cat." Steve continued to smile at the picture, then realised that he didn't have his own and made his way down the hall to his room to get it before coming back to sit next to Danny.

"Did you draw around your hands?" Danny asked.

Steve nodded. "Help with being neat." He then flipped the paper over and Danny saw that someone had written the aim of the activity on the back: 'To practice keeping control and not going over lines.'

"Do they write on all of them, buddy?" Another nod. "That's good, so I can see what you've been practising if you can't say it. But did you like it there?"

"Yeah..." Steve said quietly. At a look from Danny, Steve carried on. "No like new people. They loud. Gave Steve headache." He mumbled. Danny sighed, figuring he must mean the other people who go there. He knew that not everyone would be at the same level as Steve and that some people would be more severely disabled.

"As long as nobody was mean to you?" Steve shook his head. "That's alright then, you let me or one of the staff know if anyone upsets you, okay?"

"Okay, Danno." Steve tried to muffle a yawn but failed, and Danny pulled him to his feet.

"Alright, let's go and have a nap. Bet you didn't have one earlier?" Steve shook his head as he walked with Danny to his room, and sat on the bed as Danny took his shoes and brace off before laying back on the bed.

"Danno?"

"Yeah, babe?" He perched on the side of the bed and looked down at Steve.

"When Gracie back?"

"Ah, she's staying with her mom for another week or so I'm afraid buddy. Something to do with her little brother." Danny rubbed his shoulder as his face fell. "But she says to tell you that she misses and loves you." Steve smiled into his pillow and let his eyes close. Danny stayed with him for a few minutes, stroking his hair before quietly leaving to prepare dinner. He stopped in the lounge first and collected Steve's paintings, deciding to pin them on the fridge door.

* * *

The rest of the week passed with Steve beginning to enjoy going to the 'special school' as he called it, much to Danny's relief. When they signed the application form the owner asked if Danny would like to receive bi-weekly updates and he agreed. The first one was as he expected – that Steve was a shy person the first few days and didn't really speak to anyone, but after a few days he was beginning to socialise. He clearly enjoyed the art sessions, and Danny said he'd help him at home when it came to anything to do with numbers.

Friday rolled around and Danny frowned when Steve was reluctant to get out of bed, saying that he felt tired still. Danny thought he felt warmer than normal, but managed to persuade Steve to get up and off to the day centre, albeit in his wheelchair, reminding him to tell someone if he felt unwell.

Danny was about halfway through an order form for what Kono described as her 'dream sniper rifle' when his phone rang.

"Hi, is this Danny?" He frowned, before confirming.

"Ah, my name is Alani, I'm a helper at the day centre where your friend Steve is. I'm afraid I'll need you to come and collect him."

"Why? Has something happened?" Danny started to wrap up what he was writing, ignoring the panic rising in him.

"Not exactly. Steve has been very quiet, almost silent. I know he's normally quiet but he still engages with the group sessions. But this morning he's not wanted to take part in anything, just wanted to sit on his own. We managed to convince him to have some lunch and his meds but he was sick not long afterwards, and he's now really warm and feverish. Our on site doctor is here as well but Steve's asking for you." Alani said.

"Shit… okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." Danny said before hanging up and practically sprinting out of the office, shouting out an explanation to Kono as he went. Because Steve was in his wheelchair Danny had to detour home first to swap his Camaro for Steve's truck so he could put the chair in the back. He was sure that he ran a couple of red lights on his way there but Danny didn't care as he pulled up outside the centre.

As soon as he walked in he spotted Steve. He was slumped in his chair and Danny couldn't tell if he was shaking from the fever or having a spasm. _Probably both if he threw his meds up._ He realised.

"Hey, babe." Danny said as he pulled up a chair and sat next to him, squeezing Steve's hand when he reached for him. "Alani says you've not been well." Steve shook his head before blearily gazing at Danny.

"Been sick." Steve screwed his face up before trying to lean into Danny, but the padded straps over his shoulders and chest prevented him from reaching him. Frustrated, he gave up and fell back into his chair. "Want hug, Danno." Steve sniffed, tear tracks drying on his face.

"Hey, Danno's right here, baby. Those straps have to stay on while you're in the chair if you're shaking about, don't want you to hurt yourself." Danny soothed, stroking his hair away from his face. "I'm gonna take you home, okay?"

"Hi Danny, I'm the doctor. It seems like Steve's got a touch of the flu that's been going around, he's got a temperature and says that everything hurts. While antibiotics don't generally do anything for the flu, I've got some for him anyway - I noticed that his head and in particular his scar from the surgery was a bit red and warm. Best to catch any infection that's brewing early as that won't help him. If he gets any worse take him straight to the emergency room." Danny thanked him and the staff around him and took the bottle of liquid from him, placing it in Steve's bag.

"Right, shall we go, buddy?" Steve nodded, eyes closed and head bent forward, so Danny wheeled him out and wrestled him into the truck and the chair in the back before driving home.

Once they got back home, Danny helped Steve to have a lukewarm bath and then got him into a clean pair of pyjamas and into bed with just a thin sheet covering him. He was very clingy when Danny slid in next to him after getting his medication, and it took a lot of persuasion to get him to take it.

"What do you wanna do, Steve? Story? Or something to drink? Or just sleep?" Steve made a frustrated noise and was still shaking so Danny wrapped his arms and the covers around him and pulled him closer.

"Want Danno..." Steve moaned into his shoulder, his voice quiet and raspy.

"I know baby, Danno's here." He played with the curls of hair at the back of Steve's neck, who had his head on his shoulder and was taking deep breaths. "Do you still feel sick?" Steve slowly shook his head. "That's good. Just try and sleep for a bit, I'll stay with you." Danny held his still-warm body close and traced random patterns on his back, feeling his breathing even out as he quickly fell asleep.

Danny let him sleep for the rest of the day, only waking him up to have his evening medication and to drink some juice, before he slept fitfully for the rest of the night by Danny's side. He woke up Saturday morning to see Steve blearily staring at him, lips parted in a small smile.

"Hmm, good morning babe." Danny said, voice rough from sleep.

"Morning Danno." Steve whispered. "Feel little better." Danny smiled and brushed his sweaty hair from his forehead, feeling the scar on the side of his head that was still warm.

"That's great, babe! Come on, let's get up and freshened up." Danny helped Steve into another bath to wash away the sweat from during the night while he changed the sheets, before getting him dressed and into the wheelchair and bringing him outside for some fresh air and a light breakfast. Steve was still randomly having spasms, so Danny figured the wheelchair was the safest option for him.

"Danno no work?" Steve asked.

"No babe, no work today. Mary is coming to visit today! She'll be here soon." This brought a smile from Steve. "It's a shame that you're still sick, but at least the worst seems to be over."

They sat out and enjoyed the morning sunshine together. Danny tipped the back of his wheelchair back so that Steve could have a quick afternoon nap in the shade, then his phone buzzed with a text message from Mary saying that she'd just arrived. Danny fired one back telling her to come straight round the back, and waved her over when she did. Mary couldn't take her eyes off of Steve as she got closer, holding her daughter.

"Hi Danny." She broke her gaze to look at him.

"Hey," Danny offered her a smile before standing up to pull her into a hug, dropping a kiss on the top of Joan's head. "How was your flight?"

"Yeah it was alright thanks, as much fun as it can be with a baby." She smirked, hoisting her daughter up on her hip before looking back at her brother. "Is he…"

"He's alright, he's sleeping at the moment. He's got a touch of the flu and it really took it out of him yesterday." Danny smiled fondly at the man lightly snoring in his chair. "Anyway, sit down and tell me what's been happening with you." He gestured to the empty chair next to him.

* * *

Danny enjoyed catching up with Mary, bouncing her daughter on his lap. They spent the next hour talking about Steve's progress, and Mary told Danny how Aunt Deb was slowly getting worse. They both agreed not to tell Steve anything unless he asked, but Danny explained that his long-term memory was very faded and he may not even remember her.

Danny was about to say something to Mary but a soft noise from his other side caught his attention. He turned his head and smiled when saw Steve groggily open his eyes. "Hey babe, enjoy your nap?"

"Yeah, Danno." He rubbed his eyes before his noticed Mary, who was also staring at him.

"Do you know who this is, buddy? Danny asked him, noticing Steve's eye slightly twitch as he frowned at her, deep in thought. Danny began to worry that he'd forgotten, but fortunately Steve broke into a smile.

"Mary!" He exclaimed, and Danny sat his wheelchair upright so that he and Mary could hug properly. She clung to her brother, and quickly wiped her tears before moving to sit back her chair and talk to both men. Eventually she carefully re-introduced Joan to her uncle before gently placing her on his lap for a brief cuddle. Steve had been drowsy all day, but perked up slightly and smiled down at her, and Danny had a flashback to when she spent the day with them last year in the palace, the expression of pure joy on Steve's face was the same then as it is now.

Lunchtime soon rolled around, and Danny brought out some soup and rolls for Steve and sandwiches for himself, Mary and Joan. He put his aside and instantly set about helping Steve to eat, dipping the rolls in soup and handing them to him.

"Aren't you going to eat yours, Danny?" Mary asked as she broke small bits of Joan's sandwich off and gave them to her.

"Yeah," He replied, catching Steve's hand as he widely missed his mouth and directed it back to its target. "When Steve's finished. Normally he can mostly feed himself but when he's tired or sick he needs help. He's only got soup because it's better for his sore throat right now, and he'd never manage that on his own now, right babe?" He grinned at Steve, who just nodded.

"Messy. Danno helps Steve." He smiled back at Danny as he started spooning the soup into him. Mary watched out of the corner of her eye as he made small talk while he fed Steve his lunch and medication, before finally eating his own lunch when Steve had finished.

After lunch everyone moved inside. Steve unbuckled his straps and pointed towards the couch, so Danny helped him out of the chair. Mary took Joan upstairs to bath and put her to bed, and Steve curled into Danny's side on the couch.

"Love you, Danno." He mumbled, fingers of one hand twisted in the blonde's t-shirt. Danny held him close, ignoring that Steve was still radiating heat.

"Love you too, Steve." They remained on the couch holding each other until Mary came back downstairs and claimed the recliner chair. Danny could see that Steve was fighting to stay awake, his head rolling on Danny's shoulder as he and Mary talked some more until he finally gave up and slumped in Danny's arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked Mary, whose mouth was slightly open as she stared at the sight in front of her. She shook her head, offering a slight smile.

"Yeah it's just… a lot, y'know? Not seeing him for years when Dad sent us away, then we got closer the last few years… and now this. I can't imagine what it must be like for you though, Danny."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys had a relationship, everything to look forward to before those thugs ruined everything! He was so much happier after you guys got together." Danny nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. It took a long time to admit to myself that we'd have to change our relationship. But I couldn't leave him to be looked after by strangers and visit him on weekends." He looked down at Steve and rubbed his back softly when he muttered in his sleep.

"Thank you. Thank you so much Danny, for looking after my big brother." Mary blinked back tears. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here. You put his needs before your own. You quit your job for him – okay fine you're doing paperwork now but still, you've sacrificed everything for him!"

"Maybe I have… But it's worth it to see Steve happy and content in our home. _He's_ worth it. He can do so much more for himself than he would if he was living in some facility. They wouldn't understand him like I do."

"I totally agree, Danny. Being here with you is the best place for him."

"If only your mother shared your opinion, we could have avoided last weeks drama." Danny said through gritted teeth. He was still bitter about it, and probably would be for some time. Mary gave him a confused look, so he filled her in on Doris's visit, then sat back and let her rant and moan about her mother.

"Do you think she'll do anything to get Steve taken away?" Mary wondered.

"I don't think she's that stupid…" Danny sighed. "I hope not. She has no legal right to, even as his mother. It's in black & white that I'm his full-time carer now." Mary smiled and nodded.

"Danno?" Steve mumbled into Danny's neck before pulling back to rub his eyes.

"Hey, babe." Danny ran a hand down his side. "Did you wanna go to bed or stay up for a bit longer? Mary will still be here tomorrow, she's staying in my bed while I'm in here with you."

"Bedtime." He yawned.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea. See you in the morning guys." Mary bid them both goodnight as Danny supported Steve to walk down the hall. He was practically asleep on his feet as Danny helped him into his pyjamas and under the covers.

"Story, buddy? Or sleep?" Danny whispered as Steve happily curled into his side.

"Hmm… Story, please Danno." Steve rested his head on Danny's chest above his heart as he listened to him read. Feeling the vibrations of his voice lulled him almost asleep, until Danny stopped talking. Steve craned his head up and saw him smiling softly down at him, and beamed back.

"Steve loves you." Steve said quietly, his big green eyes staring at Danny.

"Danno loves you too, Steve." Danny bent his head to press a kiss to the top of his head. "Come on, time for sleep." They settled under the covers and Steve instantly fell asleep. Danny eventually followed suit after Mary's earlier words played on his mind.

" _You've sacrificed everything for him!"_

 _And he's worth everything._ Danny thought, looking at the man in his arms who was hugging his cat toy to his chest with one hand and gripping Danny's shirt with the other.


	8. Chapter 8

Much to Danny's relief Steve was better after a few days spent at home with him, and went back to the day centre by the end of the week. Mary spent the weekend with them before flying back to Los Angeles and promising that she'd phone once a week.

Grace came back the day after Mary left, and Danny thought she seemed a bit different. Normally after spending time with her mom and brother she came back saying what Charlie had been up to, but this time when Danny asked her she simply shrugged and said that 'it was alright'. Alarm bells started ringing in his head after that.

Grace seemed distant for the rest of the evening, which put Danny on edge. Steve seemed oblivious and was chatting away to her, getting a reply most of the time. After a late dinner she said goodnight to him and her father, hugging both men tightly before going upstairs. Danny frowned, but didn't let his worry show as he helped Steve to bed and reassured him when he asked if Grace was okay. Once he was asleep Danny made his way up to Grace's room, the soft light coming underneath the door showing that she was still awake. He knocked, and when he didn't hear a reply he threw caution to the wind and quietly opened her door. "Gracie, can I come in?"

"Yeah." Danny entered her room and saw Grace sitting up in bed, an open book in her hands that she put on the nightstand as her father sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's up, Grace? You've been acting weird ever since you've come back from your mom's." Grace bit her lip. "Come on, babe, you can tell me anything – I'm your dad."

"I know, but it's… complicated."

"Has someone upset you at school? Told you to do something you didn't want to?" Danny asked, feeling slightly relieved when Grace shook her head.

"No, nothing like that, Danno. Honestly, don't worry."

"'Don't worry' she says. When my daughter comes home from a few weeks with her mom and brother and barely says a word then it's my job to worry." Danny squeezed her knee through the covers.

"Mom said that she tried to ring you earlier but it went to voicemail, so she sent you a text." Grace said, so Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a message from Rachel from hours ago.

"Oh yeah," He said, reading it. "She wants to meet me tomorrow. Is she gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"I guess so." Grace nodded.

"But you're okay, Grace? Just promise me that you're fine?" Danny looked at her.

"I promise, Danno. I'm fine." He breathed a sigh of relief and drew her into a hug.

"Good. Uncle Steve was worried about you too, he asked me if you were okay when I helped him to bed."

"He talked a lot earlier." Grace sighed, and Danny bit back a laugh.

"He'd missed you, baby. A few weeks is a long time for him as he has no real concept of time, remember what I told you about that time I didn't come and see him in hospital for two weeks?" She nodded.

"Yeah, but… You could tell that I didn't wanna talk during dinner, but Uncle Steve just carried on asking me questions… it was kind of annoying."

"It's not his fault that he can't tell that you weren't in the mood, Grace." Danny said sternly. "Plus, as I said, he'd missed you and was probably excited to see you."

"I guess… Sorry, Danno." Grace said quietly. "I didn't mean to be mean about Uncle Steve."

"That's okay, Gracie. I'm sure it wasn't really what you wanted to come back to after… Well, after whatever has gone on." He offered her a small smile, before kidding her forehead. "Now come on, it's definitely time for you to be asleep." Danny stood as she got comfortable under the covers, and bent down to kiss her goodnight.

* * *

"He's my son?"

Rachel nodded next to him on the bench, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Daniel."

Danny didn't say anything, just stared at Charlie as he ran about the play area in front of them. He didn't know what to think – the little boy he'd watched come into the world, who had been there when he'd dropped Grace off at Rachels, who'd just called him _'Danno'_ … was his _son._

And he was sick. And needed his bone marrow. "I just… don't know what to say. I mean, of course I'll help him." Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "You just need to know that after..." Danny took a deep breath. "After everything that's happened with Steve, this is the last thing that I thought would occur."

"How do you think he'll take it?" Rachel asked. Danny put his head in his hands.

"I don't know… He didn't know Charlie before the accident. He's always shy around new people for a few days, while he sizes them up. I doubt it will take him long to size up a four-year-old though." Danny let out a small laugh.

"How is Steve doing now he's home? Are you coping?" Rachel enquired.

"He's… alright, thanks. It's hard work, don't me wrong – he can do some things for himself, but in the grand scheme of things not a lot. Charlie and he are practically the same mental age now."

"But Danny… how are _you?_ " Danny scrubbed his face with his hands, looking at Charlie for a few seconds before turning back to Rachel.

"I… I think I'm okay; it's been a long nine months, but I'm glad he's home now. It's almost like I'm-" Danny clamped his hand over his mouth and shook his head.

"Like you're what, Daniel?" Rachel squeezed his knee.

"Like I'm… parenting him! Of course I know he's not my son, but what do I do for him? I get him up in the mornings, help him get dressed and send him off to his day centre. Then when he gets back we eat dinner, he has a bath and then it's bedtime. Then repeat the next day." Danny bit his lip. "Not that I resent it – I'm more than happy to help Steve, and I'd never even consider putting him into a facility. But sometimes… that's how I feel."

"But you do still do it because you still love him." Rachel said with a sad smile.

"I think I'll always love him, Rach. The way I love him may have had to change, whether we like it or not, but I still love him. Oh God, having to tell him that we couldn't be together after he almost kissed me… his face almost broke me." Danny confessed. "He'll never be capable of having that kind of relationship with me again, and I think he understands that now. "

"Grace says that whenever Steve sees you or her his face lights up, as if he hadn't seen either of you for years." Rachel added.

"Yeah, he does." Danny smiled. "Especially first thing in the morning, unless I stay with him overnight."

"Danno!" Charlie ran over and pressed a small rock into his hand before running back to play in the sandbox. Danny closed his fingers around the small object, before pocketing it with a small grin on his face and looking at Rachel. "I assume that I'll be able to spend time with him?"

"Of course, I want him to get to know you. And Steve, of course."

"Thank you." Danny looked up at Charlie again, before turning to Rachel. "No wonder Grace was funny with us last night. I'm guessing she knows?"

"She asked why she had to have a blood test, so I told her Charlie was sick. When Stan wasn't a match… she figured it out. I asked her not to tell you as I wanted to do it."

Danny sighed. "She'd a smart kid." Rachel nodded in agreement.

"I need to get back to work. I know I'm only meant to be on paperwork duties but this case… it's not going well."

"I understand. Thank you so much for meeting me though, Danny. And for understanding." Rachel said. Danny called Charlie over and said goodbye, then stood and turned to her, offering a small smile.

"He's my kid. Of course I'll help him."

Later than evening Steve was preoccupied with having a bath, so Danny took the opportunity to sit down with Grace and talk about Charlie. He assured her that nothing would really change - she would still live here with him and Steve, but Danny would be seeing more of Charlie and in the future he may be staying here on weekends. Grace seemed okay with that, so Danny hugged her tightly and sent her off to bed.

Danny sat on the edge of Steve's bed and beckoned him over as he came back from his bath.

"No story?" Steve asked.

"Later, babe. Danno needs to tell you something, okay? It's not bad, and you're not in trouble." Danny took his hand and smiled at him, and eventually he nodded with a confused look on his face.

"Okay, Danno."

"Right… It's okay if you don't know the answer to this question, but do you remember Charlie, Grace's brother?" Steve shook his head. "It's alright, I didn't think you did. He's about four years old now; you came to see him with me when he was born in the hospital. He lives with Rachel – Grace's mom – and her husband. He's a good kid, but he's very sick."

"Will he get better?" Steve asked.

"Yes, he will, babe – with Danno's help, because… I'm his Dad. Like I'm Grace's Dad." Danny looked at Steve as he tried to make sense of everything.

"But… Charlie not live here?" He queried, and Danny squeezed his hand.

"No, because until today I didn't know that he was my son."

"Why?" Steve looked genuinely sad.

"Because…" Danny paused. How could he explain the real reason to him so that he'd understand? "Because Danno thought Rachel's husband was Charlie's Dad. But he can't help him get better, and Danno can."

"Oh…" Steve bit his lip. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, Danny anxiously looking at Steve for any kind of reaction.

"Steve, you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah… Feel bad for you." Steve said quietly.

"For me? I'll be aright, babe, no need to worry about me." Danny smiled at him, relieved when Steve smiled back. "But it doesn't change the fact that I still love you, and you'll still stay here with Danno. When Charlie is better he can come and stay here with us sometimes, and I'll be visiting him in the hospital as well."

"Steve visit too?" Danny beamed, and hugged him close.

"Of course you can, buddy!" Steve happily sighed.

Relieved that Steve understood and was happy, Danny settled him under the covers and read him a story. Once Steve was asleep he slid out from beside him and crept out of his room, heading upstairs. Danny got into his own bed, but his mind just kept repeating the same thing, preventing him from sleeping.

 _He had a son!_

* * *

Danny was so busy at work due to some suspicion about a nuclear bomb that the next few days passed quickly. He was worried, as everyone was stressed enough with Kono's wedding only days away now. But right now, it was the weekend and two of his favourite people were with him on the lanai at the back of his house enjoying the hot Hawaiian sun.

"Danno? I think Uncle Steve needs his medicine." Grace said. Danny glanced up from texting Rachel about Charlie's next hospital appointment and saw that Steve was grimacing in his wheelchair, his right-sided limbs starting to contract into his body.

"Thank you, Gracie. Steve? Danno's getting your medicine now, okay? Hang tight, buddy." Danny ran inside and grabbed the bottle, before coming back to sit next to Steve. He loaded a syringe and Steve closed his lips around the tip as Danny pushed the liquid into his mouth.

"Thanks, Danno." He gasped.

"You're welcome, babe. Now, what part did you get up to?" Danny pulled forward Steve's colouring book on the table and put a pencil in his hand. He'd finished the book that Grace and he were sharing, so Danny had bought one for him. He loved the way that his tongue stuck out in concentration as Steve tried to stay within the lines.

"Did you enjoy swimming with Danno, Uncle Steve?" Grace asked, and Steve eagerly nodded. Earlier they'd changed into swimwear and Danny walked with him down into the shallow ocean. With Danny holding him from behind around the waist, Steve let his body float and kick his legs out, as if he was really swimming on his back. They practised this and other exercises for a couple of hours before Danny got Steve back into his wheelchair for lunch, both men tired. He knew that before too long Steve would be dry thanks to the sun, so Danny simply draped a towel in the chair so that it wouldn't get wet when he sat in it wearing just his soggy trunks.

"Would you like it if we did this every weekend, Steve? Some swimming and lunch outside?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, Danno!" Steve exclaimed, looking at Danny with a grin on his face. "Like being outside."

"I know you do, buddy." Danny ran a hand down his bare arm until he could squeeze his hand and they gazed softly at each other, before Danny spotted someone over Steve's shoulder. He made sure that Steve was safely strapped into the chair and told Grace to come and find him if either of them needed anything. Steve seemed reluctant to let Danny go, but he assured the other man that he'd be back soon. Grace saw what caught her father's eye, and quickly distracted Steve as Danny walked over to the side of the house.

"Catherine?" Danny said quietly.

"Hi Danny."

"I think we should talk." Danny whispered. She nodded, so he ushered Catherine inside after pulling his t-shirt on.

Catherine waited until they were both in the lounge and out of earshot before speaking. "What happened, Danny?"

"Okay." Danny ran both hands through his hair. "Okay. About 9 months ago now five or six guys ambushed Steve while we were out on a case. They beat him up so bad that they caused permanent brain damage, and he spent months in hospital and a rehab facility remembering stuff like talking, walking, and basic skills. He's been left with the mental age and mind of a child, and so needs full time care to keep him safe and healthy. So I quit as an active member of Five-0 and now just do our paperwork so that I can be here for him when he's not at his centre during the day." His hands gestured wildly as he explained.

"Oh my god…" Catherine covered her mouth with a hand, tearing starting to form in her eyes. "But, what was in the bottle on the table?"

"He's been left with spasms, tremors and contractions down the right side of his body thanks to the brain damage. He needs regular medicine to keep them under control, but sometimes – like just now – he needs extra as they can randomly happen."

"So he can't do anything?" Danny smiled sadly.

"Depends on your point of view. He can wash and dress himself; I just help with things like buttons and zips. He can feed himself but he struggles with cognition so sometimes I help him with that. He loves nature programmes and those really detailed adult colouring books. The day centre he goes to teaches things like reading and writing, and gets him out of the house to socialise while I go to work." Danny took a deep breath. "He won't ever work again, or be able to live by himself. He's like a kid now, with such an innocent look on the world."

"I'm so sorry, Danny." Catherine placed a comforting hand on his elbow.

Danny folded his arms tightly into his chest, dislodging Catherine's hand. "Yeah, well… There's nothing I can do about it, so it's a case of living with what we've got. He could have died - but he's still here with me, happy and as healthy as he'll ever be now." He sighed. "Anyway, what brings you back here?"

"I wouldn't miss Kono's wedding, and I was going to ask if I could stay here with Steve… but I see now that's not an option." Danny shook his head, letting a small laugh escape.

"Not in the way you maybe had in mind anyway." He noticed the small flicker of shock in Catherine's face. "Did you, uh… not know about Steve and I?"

"Know what?"

"We…" Danny felt a slight blush creep up his face but soldiered on. "We'd been in a relationship for the last two years, until the beating, obviously. We kept it on a need-to-know basis mostly, but I'd thought that Steve had told you."

"Really, you and Steve?" Catherine was shocked. "He said something, but I honestly didn't believe him. The last year I've been spent looking for Najib and keeping him safe when I did find him, so was off the radar for that period."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Danny contained his anger at the woman in front of him, telling himself that if he was in her shoes he might not believe it either if the person he'd been sleeping with told him that they were now with their best friend of the same sex. "Did you want to see Steve, maybe have a chat?"

"I don't know… Do you think he'll remember me?" Catherine asked.

"Honestly? I don't know." Danny said. "He remembered most of us after some therapy and photographs, getting him to say our names when looking at the right photo."

"I don't think I will, Danny. It's… a lot to take in, all at once. I need some time to get my head around it. Will you guys be at Kono's wedding? Hopefully I'll see you there."

"Yeah, we'll be there. Where will you stay?"

"Oh, I'll find somewhere. I'm sure the Hilton will have a room free." Catherine smiled. "I truly am sorry, Danny. For everything that's happened."

Danny nodded, and stayed with her making small talk while she waited for her cab before helping her with her bags into it.

 _Figured that Catherine would only come back here for one thing._ He thought to himself as he walked back to the lanai. _I'm surprised that she didn't want to see him, though. Then again, he wouldn't have been able to give her what she wanted anyway – even if he wasn't disabled, Steve and I would have been together._

"Are you okay, Danno?" Grace asked as he approached them, noticing the pinched expression on his face.

"Yeah, Gracie. I'm okay." He breathed out as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Danno!" Steve held out a finished page in his book. "For you."

"For me? Thanks, babe." Danny took the page out and handed the book back to Steve, who smiled at him.

Danny reached out to pat his shoulder, but Steve suddenly had a determined look and started to unbuckle himself. Danny watched as he shuffled out of the chair and stood, one hand on the table for support and a big grin on his face. Steve stumbled over to Danny and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Steve loves Danno." He mumbled into Danny's neck. Danny let the feeling of the warm skin under his arms wash over him and rid him of his frustration. "Don't be sad."

"Aw, Danno loves you too. And I'm not sad anymore, buddy, don't worry." Danny pressed a kiss behind Steve's ear before pulling away. "But thanks for the hug."

"Danno's hugs help Steve, so I help Danno!" Steve said proudly, before slowly lowering himself back in his chair.

"That's nice, Uncle Steve!" Grace smiled, and Danny nodded in agreement.

"Gracie's right, Steve – that was really thoughtful of you." He sat back next to Steve, who was blushing and looking out to the ocean. "Hey, you okay, babe?"

Steve nodded, but continued to avoid his gaze. Danny reached over and took one of his hands in his, before seeing his phone vibrate on the table.

 _Is Uncle Steve okay?_

Danny smiled across at his daughter after reading her text message, before slowly firing one back – he'd never been good at one-handed texting, and Steve was distracting him by turning his hand over in both his larger ones.

 _Yeah he's fine. Just gone shy :-)_

Danny set his phone back on the table, tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He pushed all thoughts of Catherine out of his head, focusing on happier times – like what had just happened, and Kono's wedding. He had to admit that he was slightly nervous about how Steve would be, surrounded by all those people, but when Danny reminded him of it earlier he was excited at the prospect of seeing their friends.

Danny just hoped that their current case at Five-0 wouldn't put a glitch on the big day.


	9. Chapter 9

Before Danny knew it, Kono's wedding day had arrived. Originally he had planned to spend the morning getting ready with Steve at home, but then he'd gotten a call from the rest of Five-0 saying that Bennett – the guy who led the robbery of a nuclear bomb from a military plane – wants to set off the bomb in Hawaii to incite a war – today of all days - and needed all the help they could get. So Danny frantically phoned Steve's day-centre and got them to pick him up, apologizing for the sudden change of plans.

"But why, Danno?" Steve asked as Danny rushed to help him get dressed in a t-shirt and trousers. He'd bring Steve's tuxedo with him to the palace and Danny, who had already put his on and would just have to try not to crease it, would have to somehow get it on him later.

"Because Danno has to go to work to catch a bad guy, babe." He sighed when he saw the sad look on Steve's face as he sat in his wheelchair, and paused to squeeze his hand. "I know it's not the plan we had in mind for this morning, but I'll try and pick you up as soon as possible, okay? I promise. Then we'll go to Kono's wedding!"

"Okay…" Steve relented as Danny buckled him in.

"The bus will be here soon, alright? Try and cheer up, buddy – you always have fun when you go to your school." Danny tried to win him over, but he realised that he was fighting a loosing battle. So he gave up and left Steve to it while he got his rucksack ready, and then took him outside to meet the bus as it pulled up.

"Hey, look at me." Danny bent down so he was eye level with Steve. He cupped the side of his face and waited until the other man met his gaze. "Danno loves you, don't forget that – and before you know it we'll be at the wedding with everyone." Steve let out a small smile, which Danny gladly returned.

"I be good for you. Steve loves Danno." Danny pressed a kiss to his cheek, and said goodbye as he helped the driver strap Steve's wheelchair into the bus. Danny watched the bus drive off before running back inside to finish getting ready.

* * *

Steve found it hard to concentrate for the rest of the morning, and it took the staff a long time to persuade him to participate in the activities.

"Come on, Steve, I know how much you enjoy the painting sessions!" Alani tried to persuade him to join in.

"Miss Danno." Steve shied away from her hand on his arm and continued to stare out of the window he was sitting by.

"You could paint something for him?"

Steve slowly turned his head to look at her. "For Danno?" Alani nodded and smiled. Steve bit his lip. "He likes giraffes." He whispered.

"Great! Shall we go and paint him one?"

"Okay." Steve let Alani wheel him over to the table where there were a few other people already painting, but he didn't make eye contact with them. Steve watched as Alani drew the outline of the animal in pencil on a large piece of paper, before she handed him the paints and brushes. Steve shakily painted the colours on the giraffe, ignoring when one of the other clients kept on trying to engage him in conversation.

"Hey, what are you drawing?" Steve shook his head at the repeated question, before carrying on painting. _Please go away…_ "Hey come on, I just wanna see what you're drawing!" The younger man then tried to reach for the piece of paper, and Steve's eyes went wide.

"No!" He shouted, leaning over as far as he could in his wheelchair - which wasn't a lot - and trying to cover the paper with his arms. "No! Not for you!"

"What's going on here? Steve?" Alani came rushing over at Steve's shouting.

"Bad man. Not for him." Steve muttered, eyes screwed shut and not moving from his guarding position. Alani sighed and rubbed his shoulder.

"George, we've been over this before. Not everybody wants to let you see what they're making. Now leave him alone." She said firmly at the man next to Steve, who sighed before getting up and joining another table. "There, he's gone now! Are you okay, Steve?"

"Yes… Thank you." He whispered. "Done for Danno." Steve leant back in his chair and revealed his finished painting.

"That's really nice, Steve! I'll leave it over here to finish drying while we have some lunch." Alani moved it aside and handed Steve his sandwich. He was enjoying the programme about dolphins that was on the television when it suddenly cut to the local news channel.

" _We interrupt this programme for a special bulletin. It would appear that a nuclear bomb has been stolen and was hidden on a tram that is now speeding through downtown Waikiki. The Five 0 task force are on the tram and appear to be trying to steer it away from the city."_ The news then cut to a close up photo that a passer-by had taken, and Danny was clearly visible on the tram. Steve's face fell.

"Danno!" Steve exclaimed, and tugged on Alani's sleeve to get her attention. She turned to look at him, and he pointed at the screen that still had the photo on. "Danno in trouble!" Alani listened as they repeated the situation with the bomb. Steve started to panic, eyes glued to the screen as they showed the photo of Danny on the tram.

"Oh shit… okay Steve, you need to calm down, buddy." Alani focused on the now crying man next to her.

"Want to help Danno!"

"I know you do, Steve, but there's nothing you could do to help him. Five 0 will handle it!"

"No! Steve be with Danno!" Steve was practically shouting through his tears. Alani ran her hands through her hair and reached for the company phone, scrolling through until she saw Danny's name and hit 'call'. Her heart sank when he didn't pick up, even on the second or third try. She tried the next name on the list of Steve's friends, which was Kono.

"Hello? Is this Kono Kalakaua?"

"Yeah… Who is this?"

"This is Alani, I work at Steve's day centre." She sat next to the man in question as he started rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, hi. Is Steve okay? Now's not… really a good time." Kono said as they arrived at Kamekonas shrimp truck and Danny and Chin loaded the bomb onto his helicopter. She listened as Alani explained what had just happened and Steve's reaction.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but Steve's really upset and wants to be with you guys, we can't get him to calm down." Kono cringed; she could hear Steve crying over the phone and could make out Danny's name in there too.

"Oh, man…" Kono looked around, before her eyes drifted back to the helicopter in the distance. "I guess you could bring him to where I'm at." She gave Alani the location of the shrimp truck and accepted her many thanks before hanging up.

"Okay, Steve – let's go and see Danno." Alani said, and breathed a sigh of relief when he eventually stopped crying as she turned his chair around and began to wheel him out.

"Wait!" Steve flung his arm out to the side causing Alani to quickly stop. "Giraffe for Danno." She sighed, but couldn't stop the small smile on her face as she carefully placed the painting in Steve's rucksack, before carrying on wheeling him out to the bus.

* * *

The ride to the shrimp truck was short, and Alani was very grateful when the bus finally stopped; Steve was getting so impatient to see Danny that he was pulling on his shoulder straps to try to see out of the window. She got Steve off of the bus and wheeled him over to where Kono was standing by the hut, and Alani thanked her again for letting her bring Steve out here, before bidding them both goodbye.

"Kono, where's Danno?" Steve looked up and asked her, clutching his rucksack on his lap.

"Steve, can you, uh… can you see the helicopter out there?" The woman pointed out to the distance, where the chopper was. Steve followed her gaze and nodded. "Danno's on there, with Chin." His eyes widened.

"With the bomb?"

"Yeah… see, they have to drop it far away from here so it doesn't hurt anybody." Kono tried to explain, and then as if to help her an almighty explosion went off in the distance, and they both watched helplessly as the helicopter came racing back towards them, narrowly escaping the giant wave of water that threatened to engulf it. Steve didn't take his eyes off of the chopper as it finally landed on the beach, and saw Kono out of the corner of his eye run towards Chin. But he didn't pay them any attention as he saw the man who was his whole world climb out of the cockpit.

"Danno!" Steve whispered to himself. He put his rucksack on the ground before frantically unbuckling himself and eventually getting to his feet. "Danno!" He shouted as he stumbled in Danny's direction.

"Steve?!" The blonde turned around at the sound of his name and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Steve coming towards him. Danny ran towards him and caught the taller man just as his leg was about to give way. He held Steve close to him and both men let their emotions from what just happened fall out. "I'm so happy to see you, baby." Danny whispered, not caring that Steve was getting his collar wet with his tears. He shot a grateful look at Chin and Kono as they brought Steve's wheelchair forward and Danny carefully lowered the other man down once he managed to get Steve to let go. Then he seemed to realise that _Steve_ was there.

"Babe… how did you even get here?" Danny asked him, a panicked look on his face.

"Bus." Steve replied, smiling when Danny brushed the last of his tears away with his thumb. "Had to come back, Danno promised." Steve smiled up at him, Danny's hand still on his face.

"Huh?"

"Danno promised to see Steve later." Steve said. "For wedding!" Danny smiled back, getting what Steve meant. Then his eyes went wide. _The wedding!_

"Shit!" Danny looked up at the two cousins. "Kono, your wedding! We need to go!" The two cousins headed off to the venue in Chin's car, while Danny phoned a cab that would take him and Steve to the palace, and Steve's tux.

* * *

"Hey come on, babe, hold still! I know you don't like it but it's only for this evening… There!" Danny raised his arms in success as he finally managed to tie the bow tie around Steve's neck, trying to ignore the sour look on his face.

"Danno, too tight!" The blonde sighed and gave Steve a look of his own, but still loosened the black tie.

"That better?" Steve nodded, and Danny sighed in relief before bending down to put the taller mans shoes on, having already gotten Steve dressed in his suit and back in his wheelchair.

"Sorry, Danno." Steve mumbled as he fiddled with his shirt with a downcast look. Danny finished tying his second shoelace and pulled his desk chair over so he could sit in front of him.

"Hey… It's okay, buddy." Danny took his larger hands in his own and squeezed them. "I'm sorry too, it's been a… a long day, and we've still got the wedding to go." Danny ran a hand through Steve's short hair in an attempt to style it, and couldn't hold back his smile when he sat back and looked at him.

"You okay, Danno?" Steve asked, confused as to why he was smiling. Danny cupped the side of his face.

"You still look amazing, Steve." His fingers lightly traced the scar on the side of Steve's head from when they had to drain the swelling on his brain. "Even now, after everything." Danny whispered.

Steve just smiled back at him. "Danno looks beautiful." He said quietly. "Always." Danny bowed his head and forced himself not to cry, at least not until later.

"Thank you, babe. Danno loves you so much."

"Steve loves Danno lots too." Danny kissed his forehead, and held still so that Steve could return the favour. "Oh! Present for you." Steve pulled his rucksack off the desk and carefully pulled out the painting from earlier before handing it to Danny with a grin plastered on his face.

"Oh babe, you know I like giraffes, thank you so much! I think I'll put it up here in my office so I can see it when I'm working." Danny put it on his desk for now. "Right, come on babe. We've got a wedding to go to! Let's go and wait for the cab outside."

* * *

True to his word Danny didn't cry until the ceremony. Kono looked so beautiful, you wouldn't think that just a few hours earlier she and the rest of Five 0 had saved Hawaii from a nuclear bomb.

Danny wasn't surprised when Steve dozed off towards the end of the ceremony; he'd seen him out of the corner of his eye fighting to stay awake, but the lack of an afternoon nap plus the day's events had clearly proven too much. Danny tipped his wheelchair back slightly so he could tip his head back and kept the hand that Steve had grabbed as soon as he'd sat down where it was.

Afterwards everyone piled inside for the after-party and food. Steve was still asleep, so Danny parked him next to his chair at the table he was sharing with Grace, Chin, Lou, Renee and Max and grabbed some food. Eventually Steve woke up, so Danny handed him the plate of food that Kono asked the caterer to make especially for him and helped him with it so that his crisp white shirt stayed clean. He wiped Steve's face with a napkin and was about to ask him if he wanted a drink, but a prod in his arm from Grace caught his attention and he turned around and saw the woman standing by their table.

"Oh. Hi, Catherine."

"Hey guys… Hi, Steve." She said nervously, looking at the man in question. Steve glanced at Danny, who squeezed his knee in reassurance - even though inside his heart was pounding.

"Hi." He said quietly, frowning at Catherine, trying to remember who she was. The DJ suddenly starting playing music, and everyone else at the table took the cue and left the three of them to it, Grace kissing her father and Steve on the cheek as she left.

"Do you remember me, Steve?" Catherine asked, sitting down on Danny's other side. Steve continued to stare at her, one hand grasping Danny's where it remained on his knee for comfort. Danny could tell the answer to her question when the expression on Steve's face changed.

"I... Yes... No... Maybe?" He bit his lip and screwed his face up in frustration, and Danny was quick to jump in.

"You almost remember Catherine, don't you babe?" Steve nodded, so Danny asked the woman for her phone which she gave over. He scrolled through until he found a photo of the team with Catherine in it and showed it to Steve. "There, buddy. Does this help?"

Steve studied the photo hard, before eventually nodding. "Yeah, Danno." He looked at Catherine and a small smile crept onto his face. "Navy!"

"That's right Steve, we were in the Navy together!" Catherine exclaimed, and Danny held his breath and prayed that this didn't trigger him to have another flashback. Fortunately it didn't, and he sat back and relaxed as the two of them talked for a bit; he would have given them some privacy but Steve refused to let go of his hand. Danny could sense that Catherine seemed to have run out of things to say to Steve, and so didn't mind when she said goodbye and went to join the others.

"You okay, Steve? After seeing Catherine? You two have been friends for years." Danny hesitantly asked, not know how much Steve actually remembered.

"Hmm... Steve and her... together?" He asked, a worried look on his face.

"Yeah, a long time ago though, buddy. Before you and I got together." Danny explained, giving Steve what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"But no more. 'Cause Steve loves Danno." Steve had a determined look on his face, and Danny realised that it wasn't a question - it was a statement, it was Steve remembering that he and Catherine used to be together, before his and Danny's relationship. Danny knew that Steve knew that they weren't together anymore, but they still loved each other and that was all that mattered to him.

"Yeah, babe. That's right!" Danny breathed a sigh of relief internally, and handed Steve his beaker of drink before looking around. Danny could see that Max was doing some crazy dance move and laughed. The music then changed to a much slower beat, which brought the couples out onto the dance floor.

"Danno?" The blonde turned back to the other man.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Steve dance with Danno?" Steve said with a smile, and the blonde felt his heart stop at the hopeful look on his face. He bit his lip, before nodding.

"Of course, babe." Danny watched as Steve unbuckled himself, and stepped in to help him stand up and supported him to walk over to the dance floor. Steve wrapped his arms around Danny's waist and let his head rest on the smaller man's shoulder, the smile having never left his face. Danny held him close and slowly began to sway them along with the gentle music.

Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander and thought everything that has happened over the last few months. He thought about how far Steve has come, from effectively being a vegetable in a hospital bed to this amazing man in his arms who'd just asked him for a dance. Danny knew that what everyone has said was right - that he'd put his whole life on hold to look after Steve until he was physically unable to. But after everything that the two of them had been through together before the accident, how could he not? He knew that this was his life now, looking after Steve every day and that it wouldn't be an easy ride - they'd already had a few bumps in the road.

But as Steve happily sighed into his neck and Danny held him closer, he knew that he couldn't wait for whatever came next.


End file.
